Description

Newly recruited employees in the Eskom Nuclear Build department during 2008 had limited knowledge of nuclear safety culture or were lacking in their knowledge of safety culture. Thus, a gap was identified in the Nuclear Build department. It was felt that some of the new recruits needed training in safety culture. The problem is that the newly recruited employees do not comply with safety management systems at Eskom for hazard prevention and control. The leadership do not perform behavioural safety observations regularly. Safety culture is specific to departments in Nuclear Build. This is based from the outcome of which each department produces on safety. There are better incentives for people who comply with safety regulations in departments where safety culture is more effectively implemented. Personnel were often uninformed and ignorant on safety culture due to the fact that they were newly employed in the Nuclear Build environment. Safety related incidences and near misses were often not reported which could be due to lack of understanding and practices of the safety culture in the workplace. There was no visible health and safety structure in place at work.
Leadership commitment is crucial to safety culture because it influences employee involvement. Positive leadership sets the tone for expected behaviour of employee in the workplace. If leaders adhere to the correct safety procedure, employees are inspired to do the same. Leadership commitment impacts employee involvement and thus the enforcement of safety culture.
Other sectors, such as the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, put safety culture at the forefront of their responsibilities. Eskom, as an organisation, has lifesaving rules which aim to prevent all work-related injuries. Some of Eskom Nuclear’s new recruits raised some reservations on the level of commitment of Eskom management on safety culture. It should be borne in mind that organisations are becoming aware of the importance of safety culture in the workplace. Nuclear energy comes with many safety concerns for employees, the public, and the environment at large. Eskom is obliged to have a safety culture that protects employees, contractors, the general public, and the environment against the hazards of nuclear radiation. This study seeks to assess the safety culture within the nuclear setting at Eskom and hence develop strategies that will help in ensuring minimal or zero occurrence of accidents. A quantitative research approach was used and was considered to be more appropriate to assess the safety culture at Eskom. The study target population was made up of Eskom senior managers, middle managers, junior managers, stakeholders, and operational staff within Regulation and Licensing, Project Management, Quality Management and Documentation, Koeberg Client Office, Johannesburg Client Office, Nuclear Engineering, Transmission and Sustainability, and Nuclear Fuel departments. The Nuclear Engineering and Transmission and Sustainability departments at Eskom have expressed similar views on the level of compliance with safety policies during their operations and planning. However, Nuclear Engineering and Transmission and Sustainability departments do not have similar views on safety management systems in place at Eskom for hazard prevention and control. There is a potential for generalisation of the above-mentioned findings, as the views of the respondents were based on their perceptions and beliefs. This study will use a safety culture framework concept; however, not all the elements were tested. Only commitment to safety, effectiveness of safety systems, attitudes of employees towards safety, and whether or not the organisation celebrates safety success stories will be evaluated.