Cross-Cutting Working Groups 

Radiological Protection

Chair: Marcel Lips (Kernkraftwerk Goesgen-Daeniken AG) 
Deputy Chair: Josip Zic (McMaster University)  
Staff Director: Sameh Melhem

The Group advocates scientifically-based policies and practices supported by industry experience to provide sufficient protection to the worker, public and the environment. It channels the global industry’s voice on radiological protection (RP) questions as it interfaces with institutions, such as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Radiation Safety Standards Committee (RASSC).  
 
The Group will continue to engage with radiological protection professionals and international institutions in 2024 through the presentation of technical subjects at the 16th International Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association on Radiation Harmonization: Standing United for Protection. The RPWG will also continue to promote the position of the nuclear industry on some of the most discussed topics within the Radiation Protection community through the publication of position and technical papers.

 

Security 

Chair: Robert Rodger (UK National Nuclear Laboratory)
Deputy Chair: Sam Stephens (Jacobs) 
Staff Director: Ronan Cavellec

The Group shares expertise and good practice in the field of nuclear security. It establishes the industry view on nuclear security matters with international stakeholders. It supports the Association’s efforts to foster public confidence in the nuclear industry in the areas of security and the securing of materials under industry control. 
  
The Group supports the role of the IAEA in marshalling international cooperation in nuclear security and in publishing consensus recommendations which reflect current best practice. The Group is represented on the Nuclear Security Guidance Committee, which is responsible for developing IAEA recommendations on security. 
  
The Group is developing positions and recommendations on a number of topics including: mitigating insider threats; cybersecurity; the security of Small Modular Reactors; the safety-security interface and culture; security oversight as part of good corporate governance; and maintaining security within the supply chain. Other activities include: facilitating industry collaboration within international security related events and conferences; supporting development of professional development and capacity building in nuclear security; and collaborating with international stakeholders on common projects.  Members can access the recently developed Security Briefs within the members site. 

Workforce and Talent Development

Chair: Callum Thomas (Thomas Thor Associates)
Deputy Chair: TBC
Staff Director: Isis Leslie
 
How can the nuclear industry ensure that we have qualified, experienced people to design, regulate, build, commission, operate, manage and decommission nuclear facilities safely and securely for the long term? 

The purpose of the Working Group is to bring together the relevant industry experts, providing a collaborative forum to identify strategies and best practices to attract, develop and retain human capacity and leadership in the nuclear sector. This forum will provide a collaborative environment for our members to work together on: 
 

  • Identifying and addressing skills gaps:
    • What challenges are we currently facing and how will these change with the different scenarios for nuclear?
    • How are the global, regional and national skills markets developing, and what are the possible pain points over the immediate, medium and long terms?
    • What sort of people will be needed – what skills, capacities and values do we need in our organisations?
    • How can global initiatives help meet the changing workforce and leadership demands of the global industry?
       
  • Sharing successful strategies for building a resilient nuclear workforce, including talent attraction and diversity, equity and inclusion strategies from within the sector and other industries
     
  • Implementing effective retention, development and succession planning strategies, touching on the role of organisational and leadership culture on employee motivation and employee engagement, successful strategies in developing in-house and external development opportunities and the role of the international nuclear community in developing and retaining talent 
     
  • Ensuring a robust and proactive workforce and leadership pipeline, including: What might good nuclear leadership look like from an industry perspective? What are the needs of the industry for the short, medium and long term and what employee development strategies can be implemented at an organisational and global level to create the workforce and leaders that will be needed?

The Working Group will engage with international bodies working in this space, and support the development of relevant requirements and best practices which may impact upon the industry.

ESG

Chair: Kristin Bruce-Welsch (Cameco)
Deputy Chair: Martin Račan (CEZ), Hanoof Al Hammadi (ENEC)
Staff Director: Qi Zhao
 
The ESG (Environmental Social Governance) Working Group provides a forum to gather information on global ESG developments and to share and promote good sustainability practices in the nuclear industry. The Working Group aims to engage with the international ESG community and key international sustainability initiatives and stakeholders to address specific issues and barriers to nuclear energy inclusion in ESG frameworks. This includes climate and sustainability standards (such as the ISSB international disclosure standards), as well as sustainability taxonomies and green bond frameworks. The ESG working group also leads the review and update of Association’s sustainability documents such as Sustaining Global Best Practices in Uranium Mining and Processing Principles and the associated Sustainable Development Performance of Uranium Mining and Processing Sites.