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Integrated Safety Culture at NCNR
For over 50 years, the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) has been a cornerstone for world-class scientific and industrial research. While our history is rooted in safe operations, we recognize that a healthy safety culture requires constant vigilance.
Our Holistic Approach: Why “Integrated Safety”
Our safety framework is fundamentally rooted in the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations document: INPO 12-012, "Traits of a Healthy Nuclear Safety Culture." However, as a premier research facility, the NCNR operates within a complex environment that involves not only reactor operations but also diverse scientific experiments, a wide array of guest researchers, and multifaceted facility support.
Accordingly, adopting an integrated approach to nuclear and industrial safety permits the entire NCNR to take a holistic view of our mission. Rather than treating different types of safety as separate silos, we unified them into a single "Integrated Safety Culture" that applies to every staff member, from senior leadership to individual contributors. This approach ensures that whether we are discussing a reactor component or a laboratory experiment, the core values of safety, integrity, and transparency remain the same
The term "integrated safety" encompasses a combination of five critical disciplines:
- Nuclear Safety: Achieving proper operating conditions and preventing or mitigating accident consequences, resulting in the protection of staff and visitors, the public, and the environment from undue radiation hazards.
- Radiological Safety: Protecting people from the harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation.
- Occupational Safety: Reducing the risk of injury, loss, and danger to people, property, or the environment and the protection, and promotion of the health of workers.
- Nuclear Security: Preventing or responding to intentional malicious acts involving radioactive substances.
- Environmental Safety: Ensuring that the surrounding environment remains free from industrial and radiological hazards and preventing accidental damage.
The Ten Traits of Our Integrated Safety Culture
The image below shows the ten integrated safety culture traits associated with a positive safety culture at the NCNR. These traits are divided into three categories.
Demonstrating Progress
Following a fuel-cladding incident in February 2021, we have transformed our organization through a rigorous commitment to integrated safety. We have since successfully fulfilled all requirements and agreements mandated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); most notably, all actions specified in the August 2022 NIST Confirmatory Order have been completed.
Independent Assessments
Our improvement has been verified by external experts over the last three years. Independent Nuclear Safety Culture Assessments performed in 2023, 2024, and 2025 provide evidence of our strengthened nuclear safety culture. These assessments consistently show that the NCNR has significantly improved and that we remain dedicated to addressing all findings to ensure a safe environment for conducting science and accomplishing our mission.
We remain dedicated to a cycle of constant examination and commitment to address findings with proactive corrective actions to maintain a safe space for science.
References
- NRC ADAMS: Access full independent assessment reports, inspection reports, and the August 2022 NIST Confirmatory Order via the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System.
- INPO 12-012: Traits of a Healthy Nuclear Safety Culture.