Communication infarction occurs when a channel exists and a message has been sent, yet the information is not received, understood, confirmed or acted upon. In projects, it causes delays, poor decisions and the shifting of responsibility. In complex technical systems, communication is not a matter of etiquette; it is part of safe and reliable operation.
Nuclear safety culture is not a slogan, a poster or a formal statement on a wall. It is the way an organization thinks, communicates, questions, learns and responds when safety matters.
Operator error is often used as a simple explanation for failure. In complex technical systems, it should not close the analysis. It should open a deeper question: what made the action possible, likely, or difficult to recover from?
Human factors engineering is not about blaming operators. It is about designing technical systems, procedures, interfaces, training and organizational conditions around how people actually perceive, decide, communicate and act.
