10. Communication

Department
10. Communication
GRS is an independent and scientifically substantiated source of information
for the media and the public when it comes to the topics nuclear safety and
disposal. In this context, GRS’s press relations, website, events and information ma-
Sven Dokter
terial represent important and frequently used interfaces. To be available as a competent contact person in public discussions is part of GRS’s self-image as non-profit
research and expert organisation. In 2008, the focus was not only on the external
communication but also on the further development of the communication within the
company. The expansion of the intranet portal »GRS Intern« and many other activities
contributed to the new design of the internal exchange and information processes
and to the enhancements of a joint corporate culture.
Horst May
External communication
GRS as information source for the public.
Both in the public and in the media, there is a
pronounced interest in information relating to
nuclear energy. This is true in the context of the
fundamental debate within society in respect of its
use, but even more in case of events occurring in
nuclear facilities. GRS is perceived by the media as
a neutral and competent information provider and
consulted on a regular basis when an independent,
scientifically sound expert opinion on an issue is
required.
Last year, press relations, website, information
material and events were important channels
when it came to providing information to third
parties, coming into contact with interested par-
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ties and customers and to exchange information
and experiences at an expert level.
Press relations
Press enquiries. In 2008, again, GRS was asked
by journalists for information and expert explanations on incidents at home and abroad. The public interest was mainly focused on, among other
things, the accident in the Krsko nuclear power
plant in Slovenia, the incidents in the French Tricastin nuclear power plant, transports and transportation containers for spent fuel assemblies as
well as the professional training of engineers in
Germany and the next generation of scientists in
the field of nuclear technology.
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Internet
Event in the Slovenian Krsko nuclear power
plant. The incident in the Slovenian Krsko nuclear power plant attracted particular attention
all over Europe as the ECURIE system (European
Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange) was activated for the first time since it had
been established 21 years ago. All 25 EU Member
States as well as Switzerland and Croatia are linked
to the system.
On 4 June 2008, a loss of coolant occurred due to
a leak in an instrument line. The event was classified as Level 0 on the International Nuclear Event
Scale INES. The activation of ECURIE would have
been unnecessary. Due to the Europe-wide alarm
release, the incident led to numerous enquiries by
national printed and online publications.
Incident at the French plant Tricastin. At the
company SOCATRI, on the premises of the nuclear facilities in Tricastin in Southern France, a
tank with a uranium-bearing liquid spilled in a
treatment station for uranium-bearing waste water in the night from 7 to 8 July 2008. The liquid
poured into an associated retention pond which,
due to ongoing maintenance work, however, was
not leak-proof at the time. Thus, approx. 6.25 m³ of
the solution spilled on the ground. Part of it seeped
into the soil, another part got into the creeks Gaffière and Lauzon via the rain water drainage systems. The supervising authority Autorité de Sûreté
Nucléaire (ASN) classified the incident as Level
1 on the International Nuclear Event Scale INES.
The incident caused great public response. And
GRS was asked many times by journalists to give
an expert assessment.
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Relaunch 2008. In 2008, the GRS homepage was
completely revised with regard to its structure,
design and features. Aim of the changes was it to
streamline the website and to thus provide the visitors of the site with a more clearly arranged navigation. In the course of these alterations, layout and
design were adapted to GRS’s corporate design.
The editing and administration of the new web
contents is handled on the basis of a Content Management System (CMS) which was written especially
for GRS.
In 2008, nearly 350,000 people visited the GRS
website. In many cases, due to the huge amount of
information it contains, the website was also referred to for replying to press inquiries. Generally
accessible GRS reports are increasingly published on
the Internet as downloads. The availability of these
reports to the public has thus been improved and, at
the same time, printing and mailing costs have been
reduced.
Information material
GRS publications. GRS publishes its own information material to meet the information requirements of the public. Interested members of the
public, politicians, students as well as university
lecturers and scientific staff belong to the typical
clientele of these publications. To facilitate selection, the list of publications was updated again in
2008 and made available for download from the
GRS website. In addition, a number of GRS reports
comprised in the list of publications can also be
downloaded from there.
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Eurosafe Forum – The ETSON Partners BEL V, GRS, IRSN, UJV and VTT
(From left to right) Jacques Repussard (IRSN), current ETSON chairman, is pleased with the new partners’ signatures on the Memorandum of Understanding, as are Aleš John (UJV) and Seppo Vuori (VTT), Hans J. Steinhauer and Lothar Hahn (both GRS), and Benoît de Boeck (Bel V)
GRS events
International scientific exchange of experience.
GRS takes part in a continuous process of exchanging experience with other experts and maintains a
network with relevant expert organisations worldwide. This exchange of experience is implemented
by, among other things, GRS staff participating in
international committees and taking part in meetings, workshops and conferences hosted by other
organisations.
GRS on its part organises numerous own scientific events and invites experts from Germany and
abroad to take part. The most important events in
2008 were the international EUROSAFE Forum in
Paris and the GRS expert forum in Cologne.
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EUROSAFE Forum 2008 in Paris
10th anniversary. An anniversary could be celebrated on 3rd/4th November in the Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris: The 10th EUROSAFE Forum for nuclear safety. Approximately
400 guests from 27 countries took part. The general topic of the forum was »The role of Technical Safety Organisations (TSOs) in the context of
increasing demand for safety expertise«.
Expansion of ETSON. On the occasion of the
forum, two additional TSOs joined the »European
Technical Safety Organisation Network« (ETSON):
VTT from Finland und UJV from the Czech Republic. Thus, within two years after its foundation
by Bel V (formerly AVN, Belgium), GRS and IRSN,
the network could be expanded to five TSOs. The
network is still open to other European TSOs.
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EUROSAFE FORUM – Participants visiting IRSN‘s technical facilities
In the emergency room: on the right, the mobile emergency box with the
equipment necessary for self-sufficient operation
In the simulator centre: the scope of the simulator comprises simulations
not only of all French nuclear power plants, but also e.g. of the TMI accident
Within the scope of the forum, some visits took
place for the first time. The participants could visit
the IRSN simulator and crisis centre.
forum is it to introduce the tasks and the results
of GRS’s activities to the expert world and the interested public and to put them up for discussion.
All available lectures held at the forum 2008 can
be found on the EUROSAFE website (www.eurosafe-forum.org).
Continuing the expert discussions. Lothar
Hahn, Technical and Scientific Director of GRS,
concluded that the overall result of the »GRS competitive exhibition« was positive. He announced
that the events would be continued in the next year
and beyond to thus resume the tradition of the
GRS expert discussions which were replaced by
the EUROSAFE Forum in 1999. The programme
and the lectures can be found on the GRS website.
Second GRS expert forum
Information and discussions. In 2008, about
130 participants from authorities, operators, the
nuclear industry, research and engineering institutions as well as universities were interested in the
current GRS activities. On 7 and 8 April, they met
in the »Wolkenburg« in Cologne where they held
lectures and discussions within the scope of the
second GRS expert forum.
With the public event series »GRS expert forum«, a two-day event which has taken place annually since 2007, GRS has been providing information in numerous lectures on the GRS activities
in the fields of reactor safety, final disposal and
radiation protection. Objective of the GRS expert
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First ETSON/EUROSAFE
Summer School in Garching
Academic session. From 25 to 29 August, the
first »ETSON Summer School on Nuclear Reactor
Safety Assessment« took place at the GRS location
in Garching. The five-day pilot event was attended by 44 young scientists from Germany, France,
Belgium, the Netherlands and Great Britain. It
was organised by the members of the Junior Staff
Programme (JSP) of GRS, IRSN and Bel V. The
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Communication
GRS-Expert Forum: 130 participants at the Cologne »Wolkenburg« venue
Displaying its performace spectrum at the »Fachforum« meeting of specialists, GRS presents its current activities, thereby following up the tradition
of the former »GRS Fachgespräch« conferences that were replaced in 1999 by the international EUROSAFE Forum
three organisations are partner of EUROSAFE and
founded the European TSO Network (ETSON) in
May 2006.
Promoting and internationalising education.
Colleagues of IRSN (France), Bel V (Belgium), the
National Nuclear Laboratory – formerly Nexia
Solutions – (Great Britain) and of GRS reported
on their fields of specialty and work. In addition
to that, questions on the contents of the Summer
School were answered and case studies were presented within the scope of various group activities.
A visit to the TU München (thermodynamics
department), the Research Neutron Source FRM
II and the GRS simulation centre were also part of
the programme.
International workshops at
GRS Garching
In the week from 31 March to 4 April 2008,
three international workshops took place at GRS
Garching. GRS was host of two OECD/NEA workshops and a meeting of the AER (Atomic Energy
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Research) Group D. In the BFBT-5 Workshop, vapour content measurements in a fuel assembly of a
boiling water reactor which had been provided by
the Japanese Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC) were evaluated. Parallel to BFBT-5,
a session of the AER, Group D, took place during
which the reactor physics and accident analyses of
VVER-type reactors were dealt with. The UAM-2
Workshop (Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling) is
an OECD/NEA initiative to introduce uncertainty
analyses for neutron-physical calculations.
EU procedure in case of
Level 2 PSA analyses shall
be harmonised
On 15 May 2008, a workshop with 18 participants
from the entire EU took place within the scope of
the EU project ASAMPSA2 (Advanced Safety Assessment Methodologies: Level 2 PSA) at GRS Cologne. With ASAMPSA2, a draft for an EU-wide,
standardised procedure for the preparation of a
Level 2 PSA shall be created. In doing so, not only
the procedures for the present but also for future
reactor concepts are being primarily dealt with.
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Communication
ETSON Summer School – Training and further qualification for young scientists
The »ETSON Summer School« is an important building block of competence maintenance: 44 young scientists from five different countries convened
at GRS Garching for the first Summer School on the topic of »Nuclear Reactor Safety Assessment«
Summer parties of the RISKAUDIT offices in Moscow and Kiev
Professional exchange in Moscow and Kiev.
On 2 June 2008, the traditional summer party of
RISKAUDIT took place in Moscow. With about
180 guests from 7 Western and Eastern European
countries, the event offered a platform for expert
discussions which were resumed the following day
with several discussions and presentations.
On the evening of 8 July 2008, the traditional summer event took place at the Kiev office of
RISKAUDIT where, again, approx. 150 guests
used the opportunity to exchange opinions and
ideas on projects currently being carried out and
future projects in the Eastern European countries.
Among the guests, there were high-ranking representatives of the licensing authorities from the
VVER-operating countries, of the nuclear authorities and scientific institutions of the Ukraine as
well as technical and scientific consultants of the
Ukrainian supervisory and licensing authority.
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Meeting for the OECD/NEA
research project SCIP at
GRS Cologne
Studsvik Cladding Integrity Project (SCIP).
From 15 to 18 December 2008, the 9th meeting of
the Programme Review Group (PRG) and of the
Management Board (MB) for the Studsvik Cladding Integrity Project (SCIP) of the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD/NEA) took
place at GRS Cologne. The meeting concluded
a workshop on the modelling of fuel rod behaviour. More than 50 experts from nine countries
participated.
Internal communication
Importance of the communication within the
company. The internal communication which
every staff member actively and as well as possible
takes part in creates synergies and improves the
company’s efficiency. In view of the different lo-
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Communication
OECD/NEA research project – fuel rod behaviour models
A snapshot from the SCIP Management Board meeting in the large seminar room at GRS Cologne; SCIP chairman Gustaf Löwenhielm, from the
Swedisch regulatory body SSM, is the second person from the right
cations Berlin, Braunschweig, Garching near Munich, Cologne, as well as Kiev, Moscow and Paris,
and considering the variety of fields of activity, internal communication is of particular importance.
This does not only involve the pure transfer of information but also the possibility of the individual
to participate across the boundaries of their respective location of field of specialty in the development of the company. Since 2008, the intranet
portal »GRS Intern«, the Future Lab and the staff
dialogue have contributed to the enhancement of
the information exchange and the corporate culture of GRS.
Furthermore, the internal communication tools
play a key role for the effective information flow
within the scope of the technical work and for the
maintenance of competence within GRS. Therefore, further development of such systems, e.g. in
the form of data bases or online services for the
internal training and further qualification, represented another focal point of GRS’s activities
in 2008.
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Intranet portal »GRS Intern«
Knowledge management and information exchange. Modern communication tools which include a company-wide network of all staff members on a Lotus Notes platform are important
technical means for the internal communication.
The intranet portal »GRS Intern« serves the purpose to channel knowledge flows and to centrally
reprocess them. Via »GRS Intern«, the GRS staff
members have access to all information sources
such as news, opportunities for further training,
discussion forums, a press review, information
on personnel-related and organisational changes
and on the documentation of work processes and
projects. Furthermore, the intranet provides access to a multitude of internal databases which are
continuously updated and which contain ample
information relating to specific topics.
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Communication
Establishment of the GRS
Future Lab
Room for new ideas. GRS’s innovation concept
»Future Lab« was introduced in 2008 as a tool
to generate ideas and visions. With the support
and co-ordination of experienced staff members,
younger colleagues develop ideas in the Future
Lab – e.g. on new products, but also on the further
development of the corporate culture – and take
part in the implementation thereof. During the
first meeting on 13 July 2008, suggestions relating to external and internal measures were worked
out.
Staff dialogue
Discussing. On 29 May 2008, the first staff dialogue took place at the GRS location in Cologne.
This is a discussion format which both the staff
and the general management take part in. In the
future, there will be a staff dialogue at each GRS
location once a year and give all GRS employees
the opportunity to discuss with the general management all issues concerning the company.
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One of the first results of the Future Lab was the
establishment of a pool of ideas in the GRS intranet portal. The pool of ideas also shall help making
the staff members’ experience beneficial to the
further development of the company. In contrast
to a classic employee suggestion scheme, here the
suggesting colleague does not only communicate
his or her idea to an examiner, but puts it up for
discussion to all staff members via the intranet.
This provides the opportunity to make supplementing suggestions or to further develop the idea.
Also, the staff members can share their assessment
regarding the feasibility which improves the basis
for decision. Thus, the suggestion scheme becomes
transparent and interactive.
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