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Home > About NRC
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Our Values
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The NRC's safety culture includes the following concepts, which help ensure the agency’s mission is at the forefront of all work activities.
NRC Organization Values
In conducting all our work, we at the NRC adhere to the following organizational values. These values guide every action we take; from a decision on a safety, security, or environmental issue; to how we perform an administrative task; to how we interact with our fellow employees and other stakeholders.
Integrity
…in our working relationships, practices and decisions
…trustworthy, reliable, ethical, unbiased
Service
…to the public, and others who are affected by our work
…responsive, accountable, proactive
Openness
…in communications and decision-making
…transparent, forthright
Commitment
…to public health and safety, security and the environment
…dedicated, diligent, vigilant
Cooperation
…in the planning, management, and performance of agency work
…helpful, sharing, team-oriented, engaged
Excellence
…in our individual and collective actions
…high quality, continuously improving, self-aware
Respect
…for individuals’ diversity, roles, beliefs, viewpoints, and work-life balance
…professional, courteous, objective, compassionate
Principles of Good Regulation
As a responsible regulator with a very important safety and security mission, our values guide us in maintaining certain principles in the way we carry out our regulatory activities. These principles focus us on ensuring safety and security while appropriately balancing the interests of the NRC's stakeholders, including the public and licensees. The principles are:
| Independence: |
Nothing but the highest possible standards of ethical performance and professionalism should influence regulation. However, independence does not imply isolation. All available facts and opinions must be sought openly from licensees and other interested members of the public. The many and possibly conflicting public interests involved must be considered. Final decisions must be based on objective, unbiased assessments of all information, and must be documented with reasons explicitly stated. |
| Openness: |
Nuclear regulation is the public's business, and it must be transacted publicly and candidly. The public must be informed about and have the opportunity to participate in the regulatory processes as required by law. Open channels of communication must be maintained with Congress, other government agencies, licensees, and the public, as well as with the international nuclear community. |
| Efficiency: |
The American taxpayer, the rate-paying consumer, and licensees are all entitled to the best possible management and administration of regulatory activities. The highest technical and managerial competence is required, and must be a constant agency goal. NRC must establish means to evaluate and continually upgrade its regulatory capabilities. Regulatory activities should be consistent with the degree of risk reduction they achieve. Where several effective alternatives are available, the option which minimizes the use of resources should be adopted. Regulatory decisions should be made without undue delay. |
| Clarity: |
Regulations should be coherent, logical, and practical. There should be a clear nexus between regulations and agency goals and objectives whether explicitly or implicitly stated. Agency positions should be readily understood and easily applied. |
| Reliability: |
Regulations should be based on the best available knowledge from research and operational experience. Systems interactions, technological uncertainties, and the diversity of licensees and regulatory activities must all be taken into account so that risks are maintained at an acceptably low level. Once established, regulation should be perceived to be reliable and not unjustifiably in a state of transition. Regulatory actions should always be fully consistent with written regulations and should be promptly, fairly, and decisively administered so as to lend stability to the nuclear operational and planning processes. |
Open, Collaborative Work Environment
The NRC strives to establish and maintain an open, collaborative working environment that encourages all employees and contractors to promptly voice differing views without fear of retaliation. At the NRC, we encourage trust, respect, and open communication to foster and promote a positive work environment that maximizes the potential of all individuals and improves our regulatory decision-making. We expect individuals to be NRC Team Players  .
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