Regulatory styles and their consequences for safety

All systems theoretical approaches to safety and safety culture are confronted with the crucial question as to where systems borders should be drawn. In other words: which actors ought to be considered part of the system under scrutiny? The adequate systems theoretical answer is: all actors who contribute to the outcome variable under consideration, may it be productivity, innovativeness, or safety. In this perspective safety oriented regulatory bodies and their regulatory styles and practices must be considered as proper systems elements, because they definitely impact on safety. However, they are frequently neglected in safety related analyses.The paper scrutinizes two basic models of regulatory control presently under discussion and elaborates on their potential consequences for safety. They mark extreme positions: (1) Norm compliance orientation and (2) goal and performance based orientation. The paper concludes with proposals how nuclear regulation may foster rather than obstruct necessary joint systems learning in the interest of maximizing safety in high hazard organizations.