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Radiation Safety
Safety Culture
It is an expectation of the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Radioactive Materials Program and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that:
Individuals and organizations utilizing radioactive material establish and maintain a positive safety culture commensurate with the safety and security significance of their activities and the nature and complexity of their organizations and functions.
"The University of Virginia regards its moral, legal and economic responsibility for providing a safe and secure working environment for its students, faculty and staff to be a high priority. All University activities shall be conducted using reasonable precautions to protect faculty, staff, students, the public, and the environment so as to minimize dangers to life, safety and property." *
* This policy was developed by a consensus of HS administrators and approved by the Vice Presidential Planning Group 2/14/1984.
A Culture of Safety establishes effective processes for problem identification and resolution. These processes are essential to ensuring the safe use of radioactive material and operation of facilities. It contains attributes of the work environment that encourage individuals to look for and articulate safety concerns and effectively and efficiently address and resolve the concerns raised.
"Safety Culture is defined as the core values and behaviors resulting from a collective commitment by leaders and individuals to emphasize safety over competing goals to ensure protection of people and the environment." Certain personal and organizational traits are present in a positive safety culture. A trait is a pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving that emphasizes safety.
NOTE: Policy statements are not regulations or requirements. The safety culture policy statement is an expectation; it does not contain requirements that must be implemented. So, in this regard Licensees have the primary responsibility for safety culture at their facilities. Licensees are to do what they deem appropriate for the scope of their program. Safety culture must be tailored to the organization. It is up to the organization to determine how to apply the policy statement.
The University strives to ensure that the following TRAITS of a Positive Safety Culture are implemented. Download the complete UVA Safety Culture Policy Statement.
In July of 2024, the World Health Organization published a guidance titled "Enhancing Radiation Safety Culture in health care". Read this document, here. Though this is focused on health care, the safety culture items can be used in the research environment as well.
