Safety Culture: Assessing and Changing the Behaviour of Organisations

Taylor has an impressive background in physics, applied nuclear science, and economics and has worked both as a university lecturer and private sector consultant in these fields. In this text, Taylor applies his knowledge and experience in industry to analyze commercial safety management systems. Chapters are written to function both as stand-alone pieces and as part of a complete reference on identifying, assessing, and changing safety systems. The subject matter of this text, while applicable across a broad swath of commercial organizations, is fairly technical and is most suited to managers, industrial engineers, or other individuals with a background in the study of safety management systems. Distributed in the United States by Ashgate. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Dr John Taylor lectured in Physics before embarking on a career in the commercial nuclear power plant industry. During his career has worked on nuclear reactor physics design for marine plant, safety in design of commercial reactors and the safe design of all facets of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Here he gained experience of safety assessment, accident consequence analysis and nuclear facility safety cases production methods eventually becoming an independent reviewer of safety submissions. Later, as a senior corporate manger for a leading UK Company, he was closely involved with the Corporate regulatory interface addressing safety assessment methods and analysis. In pursuing a strong belief in the need for senior level ownership of safety management Dr. Taylor engaged the senior team in safety culture theory, human factors and human behaviour, and the independent review of safety culture on operational sites. He worked in the UK and periodically overseas, particularly in the USA and South Africa. John Taylor continues to consult, particularly in nuclear, radiological, conventional safety and the development of safety management systems. He lectures extensively in safety, criticality, radiation physics and safety culture and works closely with university, industrial and overseas agencies as an authority on the theory and practice of safety culture. He has carried out safety culture missions independently in South Africa and with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Austria, Russia, China, South Korea, Ghana and Bulgaria. John has degrees in physics, applied nuclear science and economics.