NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

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E-mail: opa.resource@nrc.gov

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No. 09-163 October 6, 2009

 NRC 2009 SAFETY CULTURE AND CLIMATE SURVEY RESULTS SHOW 

 AGENCY SIMILAR TO HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPANIES 

 Results of the latest survey of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s employees by the 

Office of the Inspector General show that the agency’s safety culture and work climate scores are 

excellent and compare favorably with those of high-performing companies in the United States. 

 “These results, coupled with two awards as the ‘Best Place to Work’ in the federal 

government, are a reflection of the talented and dedicated staff at the NRC,” said NRC Chairman 

Gregory B. Jaczko. “Even with the strong survey results, we will assess ongoing feedback from 

our staff and engage them in our efforts to continually improve.” 

 Compared to a similar survey in 2005, there were substantial improvements in 16 of 17 

categories surveyed, and scores were generally in line with or better than those of U.S. highperformance companies. Those categories showing outstanding improvement include: NRC 

Mission and Strategic Plan, NRC Image, Performance Management, Continuous Improvement 

Commitment, Management Leadership, and Open, Collaborative Working Environment. 

 Some of the highlights of the survey results include: 

• There is strong support of and alignment with NRC mission, goals, objectives and values; 

• Multiple levels of NRC are well managed; 

• Management style and valuing differences are close to best-in-class levels; 

• Management supports innovative solutions and highly values individual input; 

• Strong respect and cooperation exist among all employees; 

• There are excellent opportunities for personal and professional growth; 

• Employees are comfortable in expressing differing views with management; and 

• Employees are fulfilled and consider their jobs important to the agency. 

 An unprecedented 87 percent return rate of responses from 3,404 employees surpassed 

the average rate of return of 80 percent of high-performance companies. Results were compared 
to a 2005 NRC survey, research and development organizations, and high-performance 

companies. 

 The 2009 survey is the fourth survey conducted; previous surveys were conducted in 

1998, 2002 and 2005. As defined by the OIG, “safety culture” (as it relates to the agency) refers 

to the complex sum or whole of the mission, characteristics and policies of an organization, and 

the thoughts and actions of its individual members, which establish and support nuclear safety 

and security as overriding priorities.

 The OIG’s detailed report on the 2009 survey is available on the NRC’s Web site at 

http://www.nrc.gov/readingrm/doc-collections/insp-gen/2009 . 

 

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