A Systemic Approach to Oversee Human and Organizational Factors in Nuclear Facilities

In nuclear facilities, in addition to technical aspects, human and organizational factors (HOF) also influence the plant safety. However, a common understanding of what is meant by the term, HOF, has not yet been reached here. Existing concepts of oversight differ in how humans interact with their environment and how humans are integrated in conditions and processes affecting nuclear safety. To understand and oversight the humans' role in nuclear safety, HOF are often considered separately. The view supported here is that HOF should be overseen both in their own right as well as in terms of their interactions and interferences. This implies that a nuclear facility ought to be seen as a socio-technical system, consisting of individuals, technology, and organization, all of which are interrelated or interacting and are embedded in an environment. This paper provides a basis for integrating a systemic view and approach to this.