Safety management challenges and tensions in the European nuclear power industry

This paper provides an analysis of major management challenges and tensions within the European nuclear power industry in the context of safety. The results show that human resource management, organisational climate and culture, and public confidence and trust are the three most challenging areas for nuclear managers across Europe. Managerial tensions typically relate to the setting of priorities and maintaining focus, and to the need to find a balance between diverging demands and expectations, such as perceived conflicts between economy- and safety-related objectives. Overall, the results suggest that nuclear managers need and use complex models for structuring their realities and that the safety of a nuclear power plant cannot be managed independently of the other goals of the plant organisation.