Apostolakis: Meeting Minimum Intend of The Regulations.

He knows most US utilities have this desease, implicating them in their troubles. They have a philosophy of this.

Utilities' attitude should change to boost safety: center head

The head of Japan's newly established private Nuclear Risk Research Center said Wednesday that a "major change" is required in the attitude of Japanese plant operators in enhancing the safety of nuclear power in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima crisis.
George Apostolakis, a former commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, took the post of chief of the center which was set up the same day. The entity will engage in research and risk assessment to reduce nuclear risks, and promote continued self-initiated safety enhancement by nuclear plant operators.
During a meeting with industry minister Yuko Obuchi, Apostolakis said he hopes "the attitude (among Japanese utilities) of 'meeting regulations is enough' has ceased to exist" after the worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl.
"The regulations specify the minimum amount of safety that is acceptable. It's a responsibility of the owners (of nuclear plants) to go beyond that," he said.
Obuchi said the nuclear industry was caught up in a "safety myth" where utilities tended to be complacent about safety once regulatory requirements were met.
"But after experiencing the Fukushima accident, we know that's not going to work any longer," she added.
After the Fukushima meltdowns, utilities, especially Tokyo Electric Power Co. -- the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant -- came under fire for not taking enough safety measures based on the "safety myth," and failing to include such a severe accident in their assumptions