3.7.3.Recommendations

It is recommended to:

—Focus on the role and understanding of quality management;

—Clarify, consistency and effectiveness of the non-conformance report process;

—Organize the Owner/Operator’s oversight and control of vendor activities (essential);.

—Ensure proactive actions by owner (plan future inspection activities and quality audits);

—Identify safety issues and use systematic ways to make decisions on safety issues;

—Connect with interfaces and external entities within the project organization especially from the safety viewpoints;

—Define clear criteria for competencies, tasks and responsibilities within project organization;

—Devote enough attention and resources to document control and management;.

—Audit the quality control unit performance.

3.8.SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The project implementation phase should establish a good safety culture and maintain it throughout the operational phase. Good coordination of the various organizations participating in the project for the management of safety is essential in order to promote a strong safety culture and achieve good safety performance. Safety management should include nuclear safety, industrial safety, occupational safety, fire protection, radiation protection, etc.

The following specific aspects should be reflected in the safety management system for the project phase:

—Interfaces between vendor, Owner/Operator and regulatory authority should be well defined and all requirements clarified before project start and they should be enforced during the project implementation phase;

—Requirements should be understood by all partners prior to project implementation;

—Engineering interface and appropriate links should be organized to ensure that the project is implemented in accordance with the requirements of the Safety Analysis Report.

The safety management system should cover also the role of top management in the decision making of safety related issues and the importance and prioritisation of the safety issues (graded according to their safety significance) in the project decision process.

3.8.1.Safety culture

A safety and quality culture should be established from the start at all levels among the personnel involved in the project. The importance of the role of individuals in the various project phases in achieving quality and safety objectives should be highlighted in the training programmes [14].

During the construction phase, it should in addition be emphasized that especially challenging is the situation where the staff has never worked on a nuclear power plant construction project. The challenges are compounded when the staff is hired from various countries where practices and habits of individuals might differ remarkably. Management would have to find ways to amalgamate a multicultural workforce. Another challenge may be represented by frequent staff turnovers during various project phases. This would cause issues with the continuous need to re-instate safety culture concepts and practices and may require the application of on the job training methods. The several layers of sub-contractors typical of a mega project of this size may constitute a challenge for the project organization in terms of imposing the safety culture down to the last worker of these companies who may be on site for a very limited time.

However, with a few simple but important steps and clear rules a basic understanding of safety concepts and of individual responsibilities can be reached. One fundamental starting point is that rules and procedures must be enforced at all times; no deviations should be allowed. A computerized system to record non-conformances and

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FIG. 21. Three steps of construction inspection programme [13].

safety significant events and to facilitate corrective action should be made universally available. Superiors must be notified of every non-conformance. Depending on the gravity, work may have to be stopped. Issues must be identified and handled at the proper level before continuing with the work. A second important point is to include in all kick-off meetings before starting work a brief safety session, where safety principles are reminded and the worst consequence of non-conformances highlighted.

3.8.2.Industrial and occupational safety

Industrial and occupational safety is vital in all places where physical work is performed. It is important that all employees return unhurt to their home after work every day. In a nuclear power plant it is evident that the safety culture would play a remarkable role.

From the project perspective, every accident causes delays, additional pressure to catch-up and additional costs. Thus, it is recommended that industrial and occupational safety issues be reported to top management on a regular basis and timely processed.

3.8.3.Safety evaluation prior to contract negotiations

It is extremely important that all partners (vendor, contractors, sub-contractors suppliers, Owner/Operator and regulatory authority) be well aware of safety requirements, of licensing requirements and of the applicable codes and standards.

The Owner/Operator should review the safety and licensing management system of its contractors and manufacturers in order to ensure their adequacy in fulfilling the licensing requirements and in resolving safety issues. Similarly, the contractor should perform a safety review of its own sub-contractors. As guidelines for the review, the contractor should use the outputs from previous audits, from assessments and seek compliance in the

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FIG. 22. Creation of environmental survey laboratory to create background data.

implementation of safety and quality goals, check the status of corrective and preventive actions, check the implementation of follow-up measures and suggestions for improvement recommended in other safety management system reviews, and review attentively any procedural of managerial changes that could affect the company safety management system.

The regulatory authority should ensure that it has adequate resources available during project execution, so that guidance reviews and audits are carried out on time allowing the licensing process to proceed without impediments and decisions are rapid and well informed so as not to slow down and complicate the licensing process and project implementation.

3.8.4.Project environmental management

Project environmental management include all the activities of the project utility and the performer organization which determine environmental policies, objectives, and responsibilities in order to minimize the impact on the surrounding environment and natural resources and to operate within the limits stated in legal permits. [15].

Project environmental management shares many common characteristics with quality management and safety management, and it is for this reason, their requirements appear very similar. Project environmental management includes the developing of the following processes:

—Environmental planning;

—Perform environmental assurance;

—Perform environmental control.

3.8.5.Environmental standards

Each country has its own environmental regulations that must be meticulously followed during the construction of nuclear facilities. The environmental assessment is normally obtained even before the site is cleared for construction. Data on the use of the land and the water as well as data on the releases to the environment during construction and operation of the plant are usually required. The effects of the plant construction on vegetation and various life forms, including marine life, have to be evaluated and submitted to the national regulator in order to obtain site clearance.

The Owner/Operator is usually required to enforce compliance to the environmental regulations during construction and to ensure that all statutory regulations for environmental protection are compiled and properly archived. QA groups often assume this responsibility. In order to verify compliance with the environmental protection rules an environmental survey lab is normally established much in advance of the start of construction of a nuclear facility.

Occasionally the Owner/Operator may arrange a third party review of environment protection measures to test its effectiveness.

3.9. DEVELOPING A HUMAN RESOURCES PLAN

The construction team is comprised of staff with diverse roles and responsibilities. The type and number of team members may change according to the progress of the work. Early involvement during the project planning process of the team leaders helps build disposition to teamwork, strengthens awareness of interface requirements, of project goals and objectives, of critical safety and quality requirements and generally adds expertise and commitment to individuals and to the teams at work [16].

Managers of human resources should consider the following:

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—Developing a human resource plan in which roles, responsibilities, required skills and reporting relationships are identified and documented;

—Recruiting the construction team: confirming resource availability and obtaining the team necessary to complete the assignments;

—Developing the construction team: improving competences, team interaction and team performance;

—Managing the construction team: tracking team member performance providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing changes to optimize performance.

3.9.1.Human resources

One of the distinguishing features of human resource management in a construction project is the fact that the project location is almost always unique to the project and is away from ‘home’. The project team works in an unfamiliar environment. The methods for acquiring construction personnel can vary significantly in different parts of the world, and managers of construction projects need to be aware of local conditions and customs.

3.9.2.Assigning supervisors in accordance with work progress

Supervisors are very important players in the construction industry since they have a decisive influence on the quality and productivity of the work force. The most serious root causes for non-conformances are found in leadership deficiencies or at least in lack of initiative in the supervisor’s role. The most common consequences of poor performance are classified and listed below:

—Poor planning and management of work, lack of attainable targets;

—Errors and rework;

—Underestimates;

—Lack of training;

—Morale problems, low motivation;

—Staff turnover;

—Material and equipment unavailability;

—Long and excessive overtime;

—Excessive changes;

—Work area crowding;

—Difficult site access;

—Natural calamities.

Assigning supervisors in accordance with work progress is an activity that must be carefully planned. It should closely follow the human resource requirements in the schedules. The first step is to define the estimated staff numbers for each trade and the respective dates when they need to be available and ready to start their activities. Depending on the project, supervisors should be appointed to their workplace two to three months before the actual work starts in order that they might:

—Be familiarized with the specifics of the project, the documentation, the procedures, the quality requirements, the safety and security requirement, etc.;

—Receive additional training to fill any gaps in their education and previous experience. For example special construction methods they may not be familiar with;

—Participate in the selection and hiring of foremen and workers;

—Participate in the procurement of equipment, tools and consumables;

—Participate in detailed planning and scheduling.

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