From October 14 through 16, the Texas A&M University Center for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives (NSSPI) and the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bengaluru, India jointly conducted a virtual meeting of their Core Group on Human Reliability Program in Industries of National Importance for India, including nuclear industry. Human Reliability Programs help ensure that individuals who occupy positions with access to critical assets, operations, or sites meet the highest standards based on their character (trustworthiness) and their physical and mental stability, so that they can be relied upon to adhere to safety and security rules and regulations (reliability). The HRP core group consists of representatives from NSSPI, NIAS, Indian government agencies such as the Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Indian Department of Atomic Energy institutions, universities and institutes of technology, and non-governmental organizations.
This third meeting of the core group, organized by NSSPI Director Dr. Sunil Chirayath and Dr. M. Sai Baba of NIAS, focused on a more detailed discussion of topics related to human reliability identified in the previous meetings. This included discussions of Human Reliability Programs in other countries, as well as reviewing rules of conduct, training and retraining programs, personnel background checks, continuous monitoring, safety and security culture, personnel access control, and personnel health monitoring for industries of national importance in India. A summary of three core-group meetings will be published in the near future, and this summary will form the basis for further meetings and deliberations to be conducted jointly by NIAS and NSSPI.
