Effective Operational Experience Feedback programmes significantly reduce the potential for recurring events. This effectiveness needs to be demonstrated by the rigorous identification, prioritisation and correction of underlying latent conditions that are at the root of safety and reliability shortcomings.

'Operating experience feedback is a key element in maintaining and improving the safety of nuclear power plant operations. It also gives impetus to the design of new plants and improved performance of existing ones. Thus the feedback loop of operating experience is of high significance to licensees, regulators, technical support organisations (TSOs) and vendors.' (NEA CNRA Workshop May 2006)

'Experience of practical operation is a valuable source of information for learning and improving the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants. It is essential to collect information in a systematic way that meets agreed thresholds for reporting on events occurring at plants during commissioning operation, surveillance and maintenance activities, and on deviations from normal performance by systems and personnel, which could be precursors of accidents.' (IAEA Safety Guide 2003)

'Operators in high-risk industries need to be learning organisations, learning from themselves and from the others. This presentation will describe how the nuclear industry is dealing in an integrated manner with the feedback of operating experience (OE), both internal and external, to increase the safety and reliability of power plants; it will describe how it

• investigates events
• reports events and analyses trends
• shares information to prevent recurrence
• performs corrective action and training
• performs assessments to verify effectiveness...' {WANO 200