This publication presents the main results and lessons learned from the IAEA Technical Meeting on Material Degradation and Related Managerial Aspects held on 15-18 February 2005. Managerial aspects and influences are seen to be just as important to the safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) as technical issues and are frequently the root cause of incidents that occur.rnThe technical meeting consisted of four sessions in addition to the opening and closing sessions. The report of incidents session was to share information on recent events involving material and managerial issues affecting safe operation of NPP and to share lessons learned from those issues. The technical issues session was to share technical updates on material issues and to identify outstanding technical problems in the field. The managerial session shared lessons learned on the aspects of the management system coping with technical issues presented in the previous session, and to identify outstanding managerial issues in the field. The regulatory aspects session discussed the sharing of roles and responsibilities among parties involved in NPP operation and regulation.rnA total of 40 experts from 23 Member States (MS) participated and 35 papers were presented during 4 days. A main result from the presentations was that NPP management performance, including questioning attitudes by personnel and a good safety culture were critical factors and thus key elements in determining how safely NPPs will operate. Also, constant vigilance is needed, even when a NPP has had a very reliable operating history.rnDuring the course of the sessions, based on the papers presented, it became obvious that rarely does a purely technical issue lead to an incident or accident. In each case the technical issues were significantly complicated by the underlying management issues that became apparent during the investigations which followed the events. It is clear that management must establish and enforce a safety culture in order to safely, reliably and cost effectively operate today's NPPs. Clearly, close collaboration and communication between operators, safety experts, regulators and NPP management is very essential for safe operation of NPPs.
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