Senior management of any organization whose operation has been autho­rized by a national regulatory body must be knowledgeable of its obliga­tions under the operating licence and must be directly involved in setting and sustaining safety policy of the organization (IAEA, 2006). It has been shown that effective leadership is required to sustain a high level of performance, because senior management sets the ‘tone’ for the whole organization.

Early in the process of starting a nuclear program, governmental authori­ties of the country must establish a stable relationship between several aspects of the program. Figure 10.1 presents one model of a stable safety management relationship.