Organizational environment and operator culture

The Commission´s recent experiences with several plants with operational problems has brought to light management processes and policies that have produced and phenomenon that has been termed ´organizational environment/operator culture´. This phenomenon has been characterized as the attitudes, norms, practices, and history of the utility and its personnel and the role these characteristics play in creating an atmosphere that have either positive or negative effects on nuclear operational performance. The authors discuss the characteristics of an unhealthy organizational environment/operator culture that existed at two plants and the effects these characteristics may have had on the safe operation of the plant.<>