A Strategic Approach to Security in a Hospital Using Radioactive Sources and Materials

Abstract:

This paper is to present the approach of strategic thinking in reference with mission, vision and the strategy of the non-nuclear facility such as hospital which is about to start shaping its culture of security. In 2016 – 2018 the self-assessment of nuclear security culture in medical facility using radioactive sources hasbeen done for the first time in Poland. The project was a great challenge for the research team from the very beginning. However, it was not very difficult to persuade the managers of the hospital to start with the project because they liked the idea of becoming the pioneers of nuclear security culture in Poland. The most challenging was to make the personnel of the hospital understand the importance of the nuclear security culture, the impact of the human factor on nuclear security in their small organization, and the significant difference between safety and security in general. There is no difference in meaning between safety and security in Polish language and the term security is mostly associated with as a physical protection, like in many other countries too. These first nuclear security culture self-assessments have become the mile stones for these small medical institutions. The nuclear security culture self-assessment project has initiated the nuclear security culture understanding among personnel and management. The hospital’s supervisors declared to continue, extendand develop the research to enhance the nuclear security culture. This encouraging management’s approach toward security culture made the researcher believe that it could be possible to implement the security into the organizational strategy. This is why, the next step would be to include the culture of security in the organizational strategy.