The International Atomic Energy Agency's newly-published Harmonised Safety Culture Model describes the traits and attributes that are observed when a strong culture for safety is present. The model, it says, is a comprehensive tool intended for all organisations that deal directly or indirectly with ionizing radiation, enabling them to set goals, implement changes, and measure progress.

The effect on jobs globally as a result of COVID-19 has been uneven to say the least. While some industries and organisations are booming and hiring thousands, others are being hit hard. The nuclear industry employment situation could be best described as behaving like a nuclear power plant - continuing reliably without creating much attention while competently adapting to the needs of the current situation, writes Callum Thomas, CEO of Thomas Thor Associates.

One of the benefits of safety being at the heart of the culture in the nuclear industry is that consideration for the health and well-being of workers is already the primary objective

Rosatom plans to resume normal working by the end of this month and sees no need to change the schedule of its new-build projects overseas, Director General Alexey Likhachov said in a video-address to the state nuclear corporation's employees.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rosatom has introduced additional measures to protect the health of workers at both its operating nuclear power plants and those it is constructing around the world. In a statement, Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachov said the Russian state nuclear corporation has developed additional contingency plans for various scenarios of the coronavirus pandemic.

Energoatom yesterday announced the introduction of measures to protect its key workers from exposure to COVID-19. They are being housed in separate rooms within specially appointed hotels, where all the necessary measures for disinfection and medical monitoring are being carried out, the Ukrainian nuclear power plant operator said.

The US nuclear power sector shed more than 2000 jobs last year, according to a newly released report by the National Association of State Energy Officials and the Energy Futures Initiative. The sector employed a total of 60,916 workers across the country in 2019, which was over 3% less than in 2018, although employment in the nuclear fuel sector rose slightly.
 

The International Atomic Energy Agency has held its International School of Nuclear and Radiological Leadership for Safety in Japan for the first time. The school aims to give mid-level nuclear professionals a thorough theoretical and practical understanding of the role of leadership in strengthening nuclear safety in practice, building expertise they can draw on throughout their career.

Bruce Power has completed a training simulator at its Bruce nuclear power plant in Ontario, Canada, that will be used to train and test certified operators to extend the operation of the plant to 2064. The simulator complements the existing simulators at the site and uses state-of-the-art software modelling and analytical-based computer codes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency recently held its first course on preparedness and response to a nuclear or radiological emergency combined with other emergencies, such as a natural disaster. The course - attended by more than 50 experts from 15 countries - was held in cooperation with Austria's Civil Protection School in Traiskirchen, near Vienna. The participants were mainly nuclear power plant operators, regulators and first responders.

France's EDF has presented a plan - referred to as excell - that aims to drive the country's nuclear industry to achieve "the highest standards of craftsmanship, quality and excellence". The plan will be launched next year, with EUR100 million (USD112 million) earmarked for 2020-2021.

Uzbekistan's Ministry of Justice has published details of a presidential decree that approves a human resources strategy for the Central Asian country's nuclear power programme. According to a ministry statement, dated 18 October, the strategy includes establishing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Nuclear University at World Nuclear Association, as well as educational institutions managed by Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Finnish utility Fortum has developed the world's first fully dynamic and interactive virtual reality (VR) control room for training operators at its Loviisa nuclear power plant. The company says the cost of a full-scale, full-scope VR simulator is a fraction of that to build a physical simulator.