"Nuclear leadership awareness workshop" in Rome

Observance of the principles of nuclear safety and safety culture are a basic requirement for ensuring the of safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants. Appreciation of the “leadership role in nuclear safety“ is especially important for company managers. Understanding this premise and the terminology associated with nuclear safety in IAEA, WANO, INPO, WENRA and Slovak Nuclear Regulatory documents and in the nuclear licensees’ QA documentation was the topic of the fifth workshop, organized for middle-managers of ENEL, as well as for several employees of Slovenské elektrárne (SE) and for staff without a formal nuclear education.

Lecturers of the Workshop (V. Slugen, A. Toth, L. Krenicky, J. Markus

The fifth workshop was organized in ENEL’s beautiful Villa Lazzaroni in Rome and was attended by 16 ENEL staff and 4 SE staff. Experts were invited to lecture topics about nuclear safety and safety culture (Prof. Vladimir Slugen, Alexander Toth, Lubomir Krenicky and Jozef Markus) under the organization of David Gilchrist, who is the ENEL company nuclear safety advisor and head of Training and Education at SE. The workshop met expectations of lecturers as well as trainees and the definitive form of future workshops will be based on the feedback received from all five courses organised up to now. In its next (possibly final) forms the workshop will be extended to three days and will be incorporated into the induction process for staff without nuclear background who will work for the nuclear licensee or closely with its nuclear operations (this includes lawyers, procurement, investment, public relations,...). This model follows the practice of the USA Institute of Nuclear Operators (INPO) courses, where such nuclear awareness training is accepted as a minimum requirement for all employees of nuclear power companies.

Attendees and lecturers of the Nuclear Safety and Safety Culture Workshop in Rome (David Gilchrist is the first on the right site)

Many of the trainees appreciated the high quality of the workshop, its content, scope and organization. They noted that it was for the first time they had attended such a workshop. Lecturers were contracted with the support and cooperation of the Slovak Nuclear Society. The new form of workshops is planned to begin in a sixth round that will take place at Mochovce NPP, site probably in July 2008.

Text and photo: Jozef Markus – Vice-president of Slovak Nuclear Society