Communication in the Google Age

PurposeTo consider the most effective means of communicating safety and security critical information in respect of radioactive material transport.Initial reviewAn appraisal of the methods and resources currently employed to pass information related to the safe and secure transport of radioactive material to those who have a need to know and to understand the workings of the system. Account will be taken of a broad range of regulatory and modal controls but for the purpose of clarity the IAEA publication SSR-6 and the UNECE ADR Agreement will be the primarily utilised texts.Target audiencesThose who need to communicate, to know and to understand the requirements of the various systems will be summarised as:Regulator to RegulatorRegulator to risk generator (Consignor)Consignor to CarrierRegulator, consignor, carrier to intervention agentsAn opinion concerning the current effectiveness of communicationFrom more than thirty years experience related to the teaching and communication of safety and security matters concerning radioactive material transport it will be argued that there are basic areas of control that present major challenges of understanding to a wide range of people who are involved in this industry. The provision of container warning information across a selection of transport modes and geo-political regions will be used as an illustration of the potential for mis-understanding. The case for a broader utilisation of resources Examples will be shown of communication resources based much more on images and somewhat less on text than the systems presently utilised. It will be argued that systems which were entirely appropriate for a close-knit, science-based, fledging industry in the 1950s must be updated. To meet the demands of the age of the Global Village where detailed cradle-to-grave care is the watchword, an industry that is ever-expanding into new operational and geographic areas cannot rely primarily on the written word to communicate essential safety and security information.