NRC Safety Culture Worksh

NRC Safety Culture Worksh

Kevin Buckley

Children’s Hos

pital Boston

Harvard Medical School

On Behalf of AAPM

September, 28th 2010
AAPM

• Is the premier organization in medical

physics; a broadly-based scientific andprofessional discip p gp 

line encompassing p

principles and applications in biology anmedicine whose mission is to advance t

whose mission is to advance t

science, education and professional praof medical physics.

• Rep , py resents over 7,300 medical physicist
February Workshop February Workshop

• Wide cross section of users from power Wide cross section of users from power

plants to small source users and medicapersonnel.

• In order to reach a consensus statemen

everyone had to compromise a little had to compromise

a little.
Apparent Agreement on the Ba

Def ff l inition o

f Sa

fety Culture

• ‘‘Nuclear Safety Culture is the core valu

Nuclear Safety Culture is the core valu

and behaviors resulting from a collectivcommitment b l d d i di id l by lea

ders an

d indi

viduals 

emphasize safety over competing goals 

ensure protection of people and theenvironment.’’
Safety Culture Policy Safety Culture Policy

• It is the responsibility of the licensees a• It is the responsibility of the licensees a

certificate holders for developing andmai ii nta

ning a strong sa

fety program.

• It is critical that a common language of 

culture traits and behaviors exist traits and behaviors exist betwe

betwe

NRC and each category of licensee.
General Comments General Comments

• The NRC is to be commended for gathe• The NRC is to be commended for gathe

together a wide cross section of licensediscuss thi i s top c.

• NRC solicited input from and responded 

concerns of this group of this group.
Revised Definition of Safety Cu

Revised Definition of Safety Cu

• The consensus of the panelists during th• The consensus of the panelists during th

February workshop was that the revised fi i i d

efi

nition would b b fi i l i i 

ld

be 

benefi

cial in increa

the understanding and importance of w

“safety culture.”
General Comments General Comments

• AAPM concurs with the revised definition

however:– It is extremely important to emphasize tthe term “protection of people” in the abodefinition includes “patients”.

• AAPM concurs with excluding the term

“security” from the definition.– I l di i i h d fi i i d i Including security in t

he 

d

efi

nition 

denig

other equally important processes that pr

the patient the public and the environme

patient, the public, and the environme
AAPM Activities Related to Saf

Cul h ture Outreac

h

• Worked with NRC to have NRC staff

presentations at the:– ACMP* annual meeting in May 2010– AAPM annual meeting in July 2010

• AAPM is co-sponsoring a 1 day workshop o

Safety Culture in February 2011 inconjunction with the International RadiatiP i rotection A i i d h H lh Association an

d t

he 

Healt

h

Physics Society.
General Comments General Comments

• NRC needs to acknowledge for medical • NRC needs to acknowledge for medical

institutions that patient safety is first aforemost and h h f di i d t

hat t

he use o

f radioact

iv

materials in the practice of medicine is 

enhance diagnosis or treatment of disewhile ensuring that the patient receive

ensuring that the patient receive

the best medical care.
Questions?