IAEA 52nd General Conference Senior Regulators

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• IAEA 52nd General ConferenceSenior Regulators
  Meeting3 October 2008
• EXPERIENCES IN THE USE
• BY MEMBER STATES
• OF THE IAEA SAFETY STANDARDS
• A.-C. Lacoste
• Chairman of the Commission on Safety Standards

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Contents

• The CSS mandate and composition
• Regular reports at the CSS meetings
• Reports from the Committees
• Different uses of the IAEA Safety Standards by
  the MS
• Recent improvements
• The use in relation to the safety-related
  Conventions
• The improved quality and relevance of the Safety
  Standards
• Strategies in place for the future
• Conclusions

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The CSS mandate and composition

• The Commission on Safety Standards (CSS) is a
  standing body of senior government officials
  holding national responsibilities for
  establishing standards and other regulatory
  documents relevant to nuclear, radiation,
  transport and waste safety.
• The CSS has a special overview role with regard
  to the Agencys safety standards and provides
  advice to the Director General on the overall
  programme on regulatory aspects of safety.

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The CSS mandate and composition (Cont.)

• The functions of the CSS are
• To provide guidance on the approach and strategy
  for establishing the Agencys safety standards,
  particularly in order to ensure coherence and
  consistency between standards
• To resolve outstanding issues referred to it by
  the Committees involved in the Agencys
  preparation and review process for safety
  standards
• To endorse, in accordance with the Agencys
  preparation and review process for safety
  standards, the texts of the Safety Fundamentals
  and Safety Requirements to be submitted to the
  Board of Governors for approval and to determine
  the suitability of Safety Guides to be issued
  under the authority of the Director General
• To provide general advice and guidance on safety
  standards issues, relevant regulatory issues and
  the Agencys safety standards activities and
  related programmes, including those for promoting
  the worldwide application of the standards.

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The CSS mandate and composition (Cont.)

• Composition
• Senior regulators from Argentina, Australia,
  Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland,
  France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Republic
  of Korea, Lithuania, Pakistan, Russian
  Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine,
  United Kingdom, United States of America,
  Vietnam
• Observers Chairmen of AdSec, ICRP and INSAG,
  representatives from the OECD/NEA and from the
  European Commission
• Chairmen of the four Safety Standards Committees.

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Regular Reports at the CSS meetings

• Reports from the CSS members on the application
  of the IAEA Safety Standards is a standing agenda
  item since its 16th meeting in November 2004.
• 53 Reports presented by Australia, Brazil,
  Canada, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Rep. of
  Korea, Lithuania, Pakistan, Russian Federation,
  South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United
  Kingdom, United States of America and a regional
  presentation from WENRA.
• Collection of presentations available on the CSS
  web site http//www-ns.iaea.org/committees/css/

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Report from the CommitteesNUSSC

• The use of the SS in the NUSSC area varies
  considerably across MS. Some countries more or
  less take the SS verbatim and make them part of
  their legal system, others use them as reference
  to a greater or lesser extent.
• All MS take some account of the SS but there is
  no one model. Some use the standards to benchmark
  their national regulation or guidance, but do not
  use them directly except in a few cases.
• MS with less developed, regulatory systems are
  more likely to use the SS more directly. An
  example is where the MS has only research
  reactors.
• Another use of the SS was as the baseline for the
  WENRA work and as the basis for the NEA work
  under the MDEP heading.

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Report from the CommitteesRASSC

• The International Basic Safety Standards
• Covers all exposure situations and covers
  occupational exposure, public exposure, medical
  exposure, safety of sources, protection of the
  environment
• Applies to all facilities and activities
  involving exposure to ionizing radiation
• Basis or reference point/benchmark for
  regulations in all Member States
• Currently being revised with active collaboration
  of cosponsors and potential cosponsors. Draft 1.0
  to be reviewed by Safety Standards Committees in
  4th quarter

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Report from the CommitteesTRANSSC

• TRANSSC members include Member State
  representatives, typically from the radioactive
  material transport regulatory agency (Competent
  Authorities for Transportation)
• Primary TRANSSC role is the periodic review and
  revision of the international transport safety
  standard, Regulations for the Safe Transport of
  Radioactive Material (TS-R-1)
• The IAEA Safety Standard, Regulations for the
  Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (TS-R-1),
  is incorporated world-wide into Member States
  national regulations
• IAEA and TRANSSC work closely with other UN
  organizations involved in transport of dangerous
  goods to ensure world-wide safety of radioactive
  material transport

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Report from the CommitteesWASSC

• The IAEA Safety Standards in the Waste area date
  back to 1961. Since that time the waste safety
  standards have been regularly updated in terms of
  areas covered and format.
• The Standards in Waste Safety represent
  international consensus on the primary
  requirements and guidance on how to meet these
  requirements.
• The Waste Safety Standards cover
• Predisposal Management
• Disposal
• Environmental Discharges and Restoration
• Decommissioning
• The WASSC is comprised of members from 55 Member
  States and 6 International Organizations
• The use of the SS in member states was also as
  the baseline for the WENRA work

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Different uses of the IAEA Safety Standards by
the MS

• Notable use by MS
• Formally adopted (i.e. Brazil, China,
  Netherlands, Pakistan).
• Direct use of standards (i.e. Canada, Czech
  Republic, Germany, India, Korea Rep. of, Russian
  Federation)
• Used as reference for review of national
  standards (by many other States also by Industry)
  and as benchmark for harmonization

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Different uses of the IAEA Safety Standards by
the MS

• WENRA
• The IAEA Safety Standards were the basis for the
  WENRAs
• Safety reference levels 
• WENRA a club of European nuclear regulators
• A process on a voluntary basis
• aiming at reaching high and harmonized levels of
  safety across Europe and further improving safety
• An original approach
• Not aiming at developing a stringent European
  technical regulation
• Not establishing new technical standards
• Rather, having common safety references, based on
  already existing documents such as IAEA SS

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Different uses of the IAEA Safety Standards by
the MS

• Development of  safety reference levels 
• For existing power reactors
• For interim storage and decommissioning
• The  safety reference levels  were largely
  based on IAEA safety standards
• Safety requirements
• Safety guides
• In very few cases, completed by national
  regulations
• Showing that the IAEA SS were well adapted

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Different uses of the IAEA Safety Standards by
the MS

• A benchmark has been performed to check these 2
  issues
• Are the  safety reference levels  covered by
  the national regulations ?
• Are they implemented by the operators ?
• WENRA members committed themselves to reach an
  harmonized situation for existing power reactors
  by 2010
• Update of the national regulations
• Through the WENRA  safety reference levels ,
  the substance of IAEA standards will be taken
  into account in the national regulations of
  European countries by 2010, and implemented in
  the nuclear facilities

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Different uses of the IAEA Safety Standards by
the MS

• Medical application is an important area where
  the CSS highlighted the need for significant
  improvement in the application of the safety
  standards in the Member States
• Application of Safety Standards in countries
  embarking in Nuclear Power programme is another
  priority identified by the CSS. A specific guide
  is in preparation to assist the MS (presented
  this morning)

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Recent improvementsThe use in relation to the
safety-related Conventions

• Some feedback from the 4th CNS review meeting
• More Contracting Parties reported using, or
  intending to use, IAEA Safety Standards as the
  basis for creation or revision of regulatory
  requirements for nuclear safety (e.g. GS-R-1
  Legal and Governmental Infrastructure and
  supporting safety guides).
• European countries reported harmonization efforts
  through the voluntary incorporation of WENRA
  Reference Levels, which are based on the IAEA
  Safety Standards.

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Recent improvementsThe use in relation to the
safety-related Conventions

• Some feedback from the 4th CNS review meeting
  (Cont.)
• Substantial progress was reported regarding
  safety management and safety culture, in
  operating organizations and Regulatory Bodies.
  IAEA Safety Requirements (e.g. GS-R-3 The
  Management System for Facilities and Activities
  and supporting safety guides ) were frequently
  referenced.
• Most Contracting Parties reported the use of IAEA
  Safety Guide NS-G-2.10 Periodic Safety Review of
  Nuclear Power Plants.

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Recent improvements The improved quality and
relevance of the Safety Standards

• The quality and relevance of the safety standards
  has significantly increased over the past ten
  years.
• This has resulted in an increase in
• their actual use by MS and
• the commitment of MS and their involvement in the
  review and approval process

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Recent improvements Strategies in place for the
future

• Complements the presentation from the Secretariat
  this afternoon
• After 50 years of essentially bottom-up approach,
  the Safety Fundamentals SF-1 marks the beginning
  of a top-down approach leading to a complete and
  consistent Series
• A CSS roadmap was approved at the May 2008
  meeting for the long-term objectives
•  Safety measures and security measures must be
  designed and implemented in an integrated
  manner  as mentioned in the point 6 of the
  roadmap.

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Recent improvements Strategies in place for the
future (cont.)

• A paper on structure and format for the safety
  requirements was approved at the September 2008
  meeting, as well as criteria for the optimization
  of the collection of safety guides and a template
  for new DPPs (decision making tool for new
  guides)
• User-friendliness was also addressed by the
  roadmap
• A process is engaged for ensuring harmonized use
  of terms and a rigorous approval process of the
  safety glossary
• Processes with stakeholder involvement are being
  established for the effectiveness of the feedback
  mechanisms

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Conclusions

• In 2006, the unified safety fundamentals SF-1 was
  published. It states the 10 fundamental
  principles to be applied in order to achieve the
  fundamental safety objective.
• The CSS shares with the Safety Standards
  Committees and the Secretariat some objectives to
  be reached in order to achieve a worldwide use by
  the MS of the IAEA Safety Standards.

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Conclusions some objectives for a worldwide use
of the IAEA Safety Standards

• For the Safety Standards Series
• Completeness,
• Logical top-down relationship,
• Consistency,
• User friendliness,
• Manageable number of publications
• For the Safety Standards content
• Consensus on high level of safety and best
  international practices
• For the Safety Standards review and approval
  process
• rigour,
• transparency,
• high level approval,
• effectiveness of feedback mechanisms