5. Manufacturing organization

The imperative to supply products of proven high quality led the nuclear industry to set up a Quality Assurance organization very early on, based on the prior preparation and qualification of all operations, and on the recording of a wide range of data. This organization, which enables the history of an assembly or component to be known at all times, is an essential tool for progress, since any observed failure can be linked to its primary cause. It is also, of course, essential data for providing all the guarantees required for proper operation. On the other hand, the obligation to prove the validity of a modification before its implementation imposes long delays for tests and studies, which can sometimes be perceived as a handicap to innovation.

In terms of safety and security, too, the nuclear industry has had to adapt to the increasingly stringent requirements...