In the last month, Canada’s nuclear-energy sector has come under fire with allegations from an anonymous letter, detailing cases in which risk information and QHSE noncompliance issues have been overlooked by CNSC staff.
The letter, provided by an anonymous group of specialists at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), highlighted 5 cases in which important info about risk or noncompliance had been overlooked or withheld, as well as inadequate or incomplete safety assessments in multiple facilities and organizations in Canada. Allegedly, the CNSC did not inform officials that these safety assessments had not been completed on time.
The authors of the letter claim that CNSC commissioners are not being provided with sufficient or accurate enough information to make informed and balanced judgments on safety issues in the nuclear-energy sector. Also included in the letter were suggestions to deal with these issues, such as performing more safety inspections in facilities by the CNSC and the plant operators.
If true, these allegations are alarming and must not be ignored. In response to these allegations, CNSC has launched investigations to look into and follow up on these concerns, but more work needs to be done to improve the proactive disclosure of safety information within the CNSC, because full transparency and being able to properly identify and report risks are key and essential in health and safety processes, as opposed to sending an anonymous letter alleging safety concerns.
Transparency about QHSE processes is an essential component to creating a generative safety culture and maintaining accountability. Accordingto the authors, the letter was sent anonymously because they could not be certain that their jobs were protected after blowing the whistle on these health and safety issues. Employers such as the CNSC need to create a safety culture in which transparency is of paramount importance, and staff are encouraged to communicate and express their concerns regarding safety. QHSE/EHS software is a valuable tool for fostering a transparent and communicative safety culture, in which employees are engaged and encouraged to incident report and be proactive in their approach to safety.
Read more at: http://www.ohscanada.com/health-safety/nuclear-safety-commission-investigating-alleged-dangers-unsigned-letter/1003350771/