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This programme aims to help WANO members compare
their operational performance against best international practice through an
in-depth, objective review of their operations by an independent team from
outside their utility. The review, carried out at the request of the plant, is
conducted by an international team consisting of staff from other nuclear power plants, in other words, peers of the staff of the station
reviewed. The team examines the plant’s performance in key areas in accordance
with specific performance objectives and criteria. WANO peer reviews give
members an opportunity to learn and share the best worldwide insights into safe
and reliable plant operation, and thereby improve their own performance.
Peer Reviews in Practice
The
WANO peer review programme began in 1991 at the request of members.
Pilot peer reviews took place in 1992 and 1993. Following the success of
eight pilot peer reviews, the voluntary WANO Peer Review Programme was
formally adopted in 1993.
In
a peer review, a WANO team is invited by a utility to spend two weeks at
their plant observing plant activities and materiel condition,
conducting interviews and reviewing performance-related documentation. A
typical peer review examines the plant’s performance in the following
areas:
In
addition, members often request the following additional areas to be
included in the peer review:
Cross-functional
areas, which are also reviewed, apply to the entire workforce. These
include:
All areas are reviewed in accordance with the WANO Performance
Objectives and Criteria.
Peer
Review Description
The
review team consists of highly qualified staff from other WANO members
throughout the world who have extensive experience in the areas they
review. They bring together the knowledge and experience of operating plants
in different countries, and make an objective assessment of the
operations of the plant against best international practices. During the
review, the team notes strengths that may be useful to other plants, and
areas in which improvements can be made to enhance safety and
reliability at the plant. The team focuses on observing day-to-day
activities and the materiel condition of the plant . The result is a
confidential report to the utility identifying strengths and areas
for improvement. This confidentiality ensures full, open discussion
between the review team and the management of the plant reviewed.
Members of the team also benefit from the review process by taking good
ideas and practices back
to their own plants.
WANO
members, with their own established review programmes as
internal/external audits, may choose to replace one of their evaluations
or reviews with a WANO peer review. This approach allows them to satisfy
their existing requirements and also benchmark their performance within
the international nuclear community.
WANO
members participate in the peer review programme through the following
activities:
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Hosting
peer reviews
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Providing
peers for review teams
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Emulating
good practices identified during peer reviews
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Taking
actions to address areas for improvement as a result of a peer
review
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Using
programme resources such as the WANO Performance Objectives and Criteria, “How
To” documents and industrywide areas for
improvement
History
and Perspectives
At
the end of 2000, 122 stations from a total of 204 stations worldwide had
received one or more WANO peer reviews. In early 2000, WANO met a
long-term goal by completing a peer review at 50 percent of all sites
worldwide. As more peer reviews are conducted, the knowledge of their
benefits is becoming more widespread, and more plants are asking to host peer reviews. The next milestone is
completion of a peer review at
every station by the end of 2005.
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Peer
Review Programme
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