Managing risk in the face of growing complexity is a key challenge in the energy industry, involving a wide range of commercial, technical and environmental risks. Getting on top of it therefore requires skils in many disciplines. In addition to services within qualification, offshore classification and verification, DNV offers distinctive risk management services related to the total enterprise as well as specific areas such as Safety, Health and the Environment (SHE) and IT. By integrating these services, we create a comprehensive approach designed to capture and manage the complexity of the total risk exposure.

"... developing the system turns out to be a fundamental awareness-building exercise which adds value beyond safety."

Critical issue
Improve safety in nuclear power plant operations.

Solution
An indicator-based safety management system

Key deliverables
Strategic support for system conception. Process-modelling, software implementation. Coaching for system implementation

Value to client
Better monitoring of plant condition. Timely corrective action. More effective operation.

For very good reasons, there is probably no other type of industrial activity subject to more scrutiny than nuclear power plants. Regulators, the general public and the plant operators themselves will not settle for anything but the strictest and most updated safety management systems. A nuclear power plant consists of a high number of processes – administrative as well as technological – all of them ultimately relevant for safe operations.

The first challenge is to map these processes and the interdependencies between them. Next, this information is used to build a safety management system that warns the operator as early as possible of negative developments. The key objective is to detect risk factors and take corrective action before they develop into problems.

The result is known as an indicator-based safety management system. The ability to assist operators in building and implementing such systems has earned DNV a key position as a partner to the nuclear power industry. Typically, projects involve strategic support in system conception, process modelling, software implementation and coaching related to the implementation of the system.

In addition to these deliverables, developing the system turns out to be a fundamental awarenessbuilding exercise which adds value beyond safety. Providing the operator with a deeper understanding of how the plant works, it also contributes to operational excellence.