Applying HRO and resilience engineering to construction: Barriers and opportunities

High reliability organising (HRO) and resilience engineering (RE) have emerged as key concepts in safety management which promise a move away from bureaucracy and a means to manage safety without sacrificing performance. However, attempts to apply these ideas outside the ultra-safe sectors within which they developed have so far been limited. This paper uses the construction industry as a test case to explore the applicability of HRO and RE in a less highly regulated context. Through this discussion the research gaps are highlighted which have prevented the expansion of these new approaches into new sectors. The project-based nature, transient workforce, widespread outsourcing of labour and financial pressure of the construction sector limit opportunities for investment in employees and learning from experience; hence, developing principles advocated by HRO and RE such as management commitment, sensitivity to the frontline, prioritisation of safety, empowerment of employees, and a just culture presents a significant challenge. In spite of these barriers, there are also opportunities to be considered for construction to incorporate aspects of HRO and RE at an employee-centred level rather than organisational: Aspects of mindfulness and imagination; RE’s progressive understanding of accidents; and its holistic approach to cultivating resilience. It is argued that these opportunities offer a useful perspective for reframing safety debates in construction. The paper concludes with a research agenda which puts forward the need to extend and adapt aspects of HRO and RE in order to tackle some of the key characteristics of construction, namely subcontractor networks and temporary projects

Regulatory oversight of nuclear safety in Finland : Annual report 2020

Introduction This report is an account on regulatory oversight in the field of nuclear energy provided by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (TEM) once a year as required by Section 121 of the Nuclear Energy Decree (161/1988). The report will also be provided to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of the Environment, the Finnish Environment Institute and to the environmental authorities of the nuclear facility municipalities. The report is a summary of regulatory oversight of safety in the use of nuclear energy performed by STUK and of the related results in 2020. STUK’s nuclear safety regulation, as presented in the report, covers the essential oversight data related to the design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. In addition, the report covers similar data on other uses of nuclear energy, including nuclear waste management and nuclear materials. In addition to actual oversight of safety, the report describes, among other things, the development and implementation of the regulations concerning the use of nuclear energy during the year and the main characteristics of the safety research programmes pertaining to nuclear safety and nuclear waste management in Finland. The report appendices contain significant events at the nuclear power plants and inspection summaries of STUK’s inspection programmes. In addition, a summary of the licences accordant with the Nuclear Energy Act granted by STUK in 2020, as required by the Nuclear Energy Decree, is appended to the report. STUK’s Financial Statements and Annual Report 2020 includes an assessment of meeting the performance targets under the performance agreement between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and STUK also in view of regulatory oversight in the use of nuclear energy