Operating Experience

This programme enables WANO members to learn from each others’ experiences. In particular, it alerts members to events that have occurred at other plants and enables them to take action to prevent similar events from happening at their own plants. In participating in this programme, members willingly share information for the benefit of other nuclear operators throughout the world.

Event Reporting in Practice

Through this programme, members report on “events” that have occurred at their plants. An “event” is defined as any significant deviation from the normal expected functioning of a plant. When an event occurs, the affected plant management and staff analyse the event and complete an “event report”, which is sent to the member’s WANO Regional Centre.

To ensure that the information exchanged is valuable to its members, WANO has established specific reporting information categories, including causes, corrective actions and learning points. Events may involve, for example, equipment damage or a significant plant transient. In other cases, an event report may reveal flaws in construction, design, operating methods, human performance, maintenance or training. Members are encouraged to report events promptly, so that others can benefit from their experience.

The Operating Experience Central Team conducts analysis of events occurring at member plants. This team monitors events across WANO to identify significant issues. Based on the number and significance of events, the Operating Experience Central Team write SOERs (Significant Operating Experience Reports), SERs (Significant Event Reports) or JITs (Just-in-Time briefings). These reports warrant focused member attention and provide analysed information and learning points that can be applied across all plant types.

SERs and SOERs are produced when an event is considered to be of sufficient importance to other nuclear plants around the world. The reports and the training materials are used to take appropriate corrective actions and relay pertinent information to the plant staff.

Just-in-Time briefings are for the benefit of workers and their supervisors. The  Experience Team analyse and condense industry experience into JIT briefing sheets to assist workers when they prepare for particular tasks. Whether preparing to conduct post-maintenance testing or radiation surveys, the operating experience of others is available on the secure WANO members’ Web site.