Inside NIRMA Spring 2021

A Retrospective on Information Management
in Nuclear Power
s I have consulted, sometimes I get frustrated about how
A
records management is viewed, especially electronic
records. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve ridden the wave of
the evolution (revolution?) of moving from paper-based
to going completely digital regarding records. What
concerns me is the mis-understanding of the “why’s” of electronic
records management. Over the course of several columns, I’m
going to address the fundamentals of electronic records, in the
nuclear power context.
Over the past decade or so, I have frequently
provided a workshop at the annual NIRMA Conference
on the fundamentals of electronic records. I did this
primarily for the “newbies” who have been recently
hired into a nuclear power plant – helping them
understand the “why’s” on what they are doing. What’s
been heartening, at times, is to see records management
veterans also attend who have been doing “this
electronic thing” for years; I like to think that they’re
reminding themselves of the basics. I’ve done a lot of
martial arts training in my life, and you can never do
enough kicking, punching and throwing; even though
you may have done a move a thousand times, there’s
always a nuance you pick up that could give you that
extra edge.
So, let’s get started.
By Eugene Y. Yang,
Principal Consultant
KISMET Consulting, Inc.
Fundamental #1:
What’s a record?
The Miriam-Webster Dictionary states that a record
is “something that recalls or relates past events, an
official document that records the acts of a public body
or officer, or an authentic official copy of a document
deposited with a legally designated officer.”
In NIRMA TG15-2011, “Management of Electronic
Records,” the Association’s position is
that a record is “Information regardless
of physical form or characteristics,
appropriate for preservation as evidence
of the organization, functions, policies,
decisions, procedures, operations, or
other activities of the organization.
Examples of where this information
may reside are: books, papers, maps, photographs,
machine readable electronic files, or other documentary
materials.”
When it comes to managing records,
in the International Standards
Organization (ISO) space, ISO 15489-1,
“Records Management” states that
“Organizations should create and maintain
authentic, reliable and useable records, and
protect the integrity of those records for as long
as required.”
14 Spring 2021 NIRMA.org Inside NIRMA