Safety Presentation

About 130 staff of the Tomari Power Station and staff of cooperating companies attended the safety presentation.
The director of the power station opened the safety presentation with the following greetings: "Hokkaido Electric Power makes safety and steady operations a top priority at our Tomari Power Station, and early next year we will initiate our 10th regular inspection of that plant's Unit No. 1. We hope to take advantage of the opportunity presented by this safety presentation to further focus our attention on safety."

After the opening remarks, NSnet activities were introduced by NSnet. Following that, a speaker formerly of the Japan Atomic Power Company gave a lecture titled "Preparedness for nuclear power safety."
The lecture touched on such detailed topics as the following:
- It is necessary to engage in work with the consciousness that nuclear power is potentially a dangerous form of energy.
- Safety in power plants overall is maintained by each of the employees engaging in safe work.
- Nuclear power is necessary for humankind, so as people engaged in that industry, we should have confidence and take pride in our work.

Following the safety presentation, a speaker from the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry gave a lecture titled "Safety as seen from the Monju accident."
The lecture introduced the details and causes of the sodium leak that occurred at the "Monju Construction Office," operated by the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (presently, JNC). Introducing various aspects related to the accident, the speaker touched on problem areas related to organizational attitudes and management methods regarding safety.

At the discussion session, NSnet introduced positive examples of the peer review results, as well as the exclusive website for members, and others. Additionally, Hokkaido Electric Power introduced its various meetings related to safety and hygiene activities, and the like.
After that, there were discussions resulting in the following opinions.

- Even from a company-wide perspective, nuclear-power worksites seem to greatly emphasize safety. Amid such a situation, it is important to improve safety even further to approach an ideal level, but this is not easy from the aspects of psychology, cost and manpower. It is necessary to emphasize and fully promote safety management, but on the other hand, I also feel it is necessary to consider the "human" element, so that there is no decrease in individual worker motivation or attractiveness of the nuclear power worksite.
- I would like to have NSnet information shared among cooperating companies toward diffusing a safety culture, with the aim of preventing any disparity among the cooperating companies in consciousness regarding safety.
- We searched many times to find a definition of "safety culture" and morals in the nuclear power industry, and ultimately settled on the IAEA definition to introduce. However, there is a difference in corporate culture and attitudes between Japan and the U.S., and therefore I have doubts about whether we can use the definition directly. We are therefore searching for a definition that will have currency in society in general.