ABSTRACT
Nuclear power accounts for an important share of the electricity generated in many countries. Nonetheless, there is also opposition to nuclear power in the same countries, a major concern being that nuclear power plants cannot be operated safely over extended periods of time. However, experience from plants that have performed well provides evidence that safe operation is possible. Finding out which characteristics make nuclear power plants operate safely at acceptable levels of output has thus become a key issue in the debate about this form of energy production. Because operational experience has shown organisation and management to be central to safety and acceptable performance, some research has focused on identifying organisational factors that can affect safety and operation. It has, however, been difficult to make the findings specific enough for application to the daily routines at nuclear power plants. It has
also been difficult to assess the extent to which findings are exchangeable between different cultural environments.
