The purpose of this research was to attempt to determine the key leading indicators of safety in the nuclear energy generation industry. A leading indicator is a metric of safety performance that is not dependent on trending injuries or incidents. This study was conducted by sending surveys to individuals working in the nuclear energy industry, and attempting to rate a set of indicators by their responses. This research was unsuccessful in empirical validation of any of the surveyed indicators, but does indicate that the concept is well known and accepted in the industry, and paves the way for a more in depth study in safety culture and systems in this highly specialized industry. Of the surveyed indicators, three seemed to have a more substantial impact than others according to feedback given. The three indicators are: maintenance of safety critical equipment, ease of use of technical manuals and guides, and relevance of employee training.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this research was to attempt to determine the key leading indicators of safety in the nuclear energy generation industry. A leading indicator is a metric of safety performance that is not dependent on trending injuries or incidents. This study was conducted by sending surveys to individuals working in the nuclear energy industry, and attempting to rate a set of indicators by their responses. This research was unsuccessful in empirical validation of any of the surveyed indicators, but does indicate that the concept is well known and accepted in the industry, and paves the way for a more in depth study in safety culture and systems in this highly specialized industry. Of the surveyed indicators, three seemed to have a more substantial impact than others according to feedback given. The three indicators are: maintenance of safety critical equipment, ease of use of technical manuals and guides, and relevance of employee training. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cowser, Cameron Douglas"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"Safety, Security, and Emergency Management","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:25Z","subjects":["environmental safety","leading indicators","occupational safety","safety","safety metrics"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2015 Cameron Douglas Cowser"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/251","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cowser, Cameron Douglas"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Safety, Security, and Emergency Management"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["environmental safety","leading indicators","occupational safety","safety","safety metrics"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2015 Cameron Douglas Cowser"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/251"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this research was to attempt to determine the key leading indicators of safety in the nuclear energy generation industry. A leading indicator is a metric of safety performance that is not dependent on trending injuries or incidents. This study was conducted by sending surveys to individuals working in the nuclear energy industry, and attempting to rate a set of indicators by their responses. This research was unsuccessful in empirical validation of any of the surveyed indicators, but does indicate that the concept is well known and accepted in the industry, and paves the way for a more in depth study in safety culture and systems in this highly specialized industry. Of the surveyed indicators, three seemed to have a more substantial impact than others according to feedback given. The three indicators are: maintenance of safety critical equipment, ease of use of technical manuals and guides, and relevance of employee training.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Leading Indicators of Safety in Nuclear Energy"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Cowser, Cameron Douglas"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this research was to attempt to determine the key leading indicators of safety in the nuclear energy generation industry. A leading indicator is a metric of safety performance that is not dependent on trending injuries or incidents. This study was conducted by sending surveys to individuals working in the nuclear energy industry, and attempting to rate a set of indicators by their responses. This research was unsuccessful in empirical validation of any of the surveyed indicators, but does indicate that the concept is well known and accepted in the industry, and paves the way for a more in depth study in safety culture and systems in this highly specialized industry. Of the surveyed indicators, three seemed to have a more substantial impact than others according to feedback given. The three indicators are: maintenance of safety critical equipment, ease of use of technical manuals and guides, and relevance of employee training.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/251"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2015 Cameron Douglas Cowser"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["environmental safety","leading indicators","occupational safety","safety","safety metrics"],"dc:title":["Leading Indicators of Safety in Nuclear Energy"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Safety, Security, and Emergency Management"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:15:25Z"}