1. IAEA SAFETY STANDARDS History, Status, Structure, Contents
by Stephen Evans, IAEA NSRW RIT
School of Drafting Regulations
Vienna, November 2012

2. Outline History and status of the IAEA Safety Standards
Hierarchy and Structure of the SS’s
General Safety Regulations
Specific Safety Standards
Safety Regulations and Guides
Fundamental Safety Principles
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3. History – IAEA statute
Under Article III.A.6 of its Statute, the IAEA is authorized:
“to establish or adopt, in consultation and, where appropriate, in collaboration with the competent organs of the United Nations and with the specialized agencies concerned, standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property.”
In 1958, the IAEA published its first Safety Standard, Safety Series No. 1, Safe Handling of Radioisotopes. Over
the years, some 200 publications have been issued
in the Safety Series.
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4. Historical milestones
SS No. 15
Radioactive Waste
Disposal into the
Ground
1958
1961
1962
1965
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5. Historical milestones (cont.)
SS No. 15
1974
1988
1996
2006
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6. Development From 1958 to 2006: “Bottom-up approach”
1996: Commission on Safety Standards (CSS) – standing body of senior governmental officials
Committees: NUSSC, RASSC, WASSC, TRANSSC – standing bodies of senior experts
From 2006: “Top down-approach”
Safety Fundamentals (2006)
Roadmap for the long term development of the Safety Requirements (2008)
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7. The role and functions of CSS
To provide guidance on the approach and strategy for establishing the Agency’s SSs
To resolve issues raised by the committees
To endorse the texts of the SF, SRs and SGs
To provide general advice and guidance on SSs issues
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8. Role and functions of the Committees
To advise on the nuclear installation/radiation/ transport/waste safety programme for the development of the safety standards
To recommend activities and areas for improvement to enhance the overall program
To review reports on feedback from the Secretariat and NUSSC/RASSC/TRANSSC/ WASSC members on the application and use of the safety standards
To review proposals for the development of relevant new standards and review and accept draft standards
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9. Hierarchy Safety Fundamentals Safety Requirements Safety Guides
Principles for protecting people and environment
Requirements to be applied to meet the principles
Safety Fundamentals
Safety Requirements
Recommended ways of meeting the requirements
Safety Guides
Technical documents
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10. Relationship with National Legislation
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11. Summary of Safety Standards
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12. Other publications Reg'l WS on IAEA SSs and WENRA RLs
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13. Other publications (cont.)
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14. Final Structure of Safety Standards
Under development
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15. Development of Safety Standards
Developed and reviewed by IAEA staff and international experts
In close consultation with Member States
SF and SRs approved by the Board of Governors
SGs are approved by IAEA DG
Review periodicity is about 10 years
Since 1996 more than 100 volumes published
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16. http://www-ns.iaea.org/standards/ documents/general.asp
General SRs
documents/general.asp
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17. Facility/Activity Specific SSs
Status of the SSs is available at files/CSS/205/status.pdf
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18. Nuclear Power Plants Specific Safety Requirements:
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19. Nuclear Power Plants (cont.)
Specific Safety Guides to be discussed:
Design of Emergency Power Systems for Nuclear Power Plants Safety Guide, NS-G-1.8 (2004)
Design of the Reactor Coolant System and Associated Systems in Nuclear Power Plants Safety Guide, NS-G- 1.9 (2004)
Design of Reactor Containment Systems for Nuclear Power Plants Safety Guide, NS-G-1.10 (2004)
Design of the Reactor Core for Nuclear Power Plants Safety Guide, NS-G-1.12 (2005)
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20. Nuclear Power Plants (cont.)
Modifications to Nuclear Power Plants Safety Guide, NS-G-2.3 (2001)
Maintenance, Surveillance and In-service Inspection in Nuclear Power Plants Safety Guide, NS-G-2.6 (2002)
Commissioning for Nuclear Power Plants Safety Guide, NS-G-2.9 (2003)
Licensing Process for Nuclear Installations Specific Safety Guide, SSG-12 (2010)
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21. Current status of SSs Reg'l WS on IAEA SSs and WENRA RLs
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22. Recently published
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23. Safety Guide Review Plan (priorities)
 NS-G-1.3 Instrumentation and Control Systems Important to Safety in Nuclear Power Plants (2002)
 NS-G-1.8 Design of Emergency Power Systems for Nuclear Power Plants (2004)
 NS-G-1.9 Design of the Reactor Coolant System and Associated Systems in Nuclear Power Plants (2004)
 NS-G-1.4 Design of Fuel Handling and Storage Systems for Nuclear Power Plants (2003)
 NS-G-1.10 Design of Reactor Containment Systems for Nuclear Power Plants (2004)
 NS-G-1.7 Protection against Internal Fires and Explosions in the Design of Nuclear Power Plants (2004)
NS-G-1.11 Protection against Internal Hazards other than Fires and Explosions in the Design of Nuclear Power Plants (2004)
 SSG-2 Deterministic Safety Analysis for Nuclear Power Plants (2009)
 NS-G-2.15 Severe Accident Management Programmes for Nuclear Power Plants (2009)
 SSG-15 Storage of Spent Fuel (in publication)
 GS-G-2.1 Arrangements for Preparedness for a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency (2007)
 GSG-2 Criteria for Use in Preparedness and Response for a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency (2011)
 WS-G-3.1 Remediation Process for Areas Affected by past activities and accidents (2007)
 GS-G-1.1 Organization and staffing of the regulatory body for nuclear facility (2002)
 GS-G-1.2 Review and assessment of nuclear facilities by the regulatory body (2002)
 GS-G-1.3 Regulatory inspection of nuclear facilities and enforcement by the regulatory body (2002)
 GS-G-1.4 Documentation for use in regulating nuclear facilities (2002)
SSG-12 Licensing Process for Nuclear Installations (2010)
 SSG-16 Establishing the Safety Infrastructure for a Nuclear Power Programme (2011)
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24. Fundamental Safety Principles
Principle 1: Responsibility for safety
The prime responsibility for safety must rest with the person or organization responsible for facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks.
Authorization may be granted
Prime responsibility is retained
Responsibility for given activities in accordance with applicable safety objectives
Responsibility for long term operation and wastes
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25. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 2: Role of government
An effective legal and governmental framework for safety, including an independent regulatory body, must be established and sustained.
Framework to fulfil national responsibilities
Arrangements to reduce radiation risks
The RB has competence, resources; is effectively independent; informs and consults with interested parties;
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26. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 3: Leadership and management for safety
Effective leadership and management for safety must be established and sustained in organizations concerned with, and facilities and activities that give rise to, radiation risks.
Leadership in safety matters at the highest level
Safety culture integrated into the management system
Accounting for human factor
Graded approach to safety assessment
Precursors to accident identified and analysed, feedback of OE
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27. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 4: Justification of facilities and activities
Facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks
must yield an overall benefit.
Benefits must outweigh the radiation risk
Risk/benefit decisions taken on state or regulatory body levels
Justification of medical radiation exposure in the benefit of the patient
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28. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 5: Optimization of protection
Protection must be optimized to provide the highest level of safety that can reasonably be achieved
To provide the highest level of safety that can reasonably be achieved (ALARA)
For this all normal, abnormal and accident conditions must be assessed (in graded approach)
Judgement of the relative significance of various factors
Resources devoted and measures commensurate with the magnitude of the radiation risk
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29. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 6: Limitation of risks to individuals
Measures for controlling radiation risks must ensure that no individual bears an unacceptable risk of harm
Doses and radiation risks controlled within specified limits
Optimization of protection and limitation of doses go together
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30. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 7: Protection of present and future generations
People and the environment, present and future, must be protected against radiation risks
Radiation risk across borders and for long time
To protect the entire ecosystem
Waste management without undue burden on the future generations
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31. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 8: Prevention of accidents
All practical efforts must be made to prevent and mitigate nuclear or radiation accidents
Ensure that the likelihood of accident with harmful consequences be extremely low
Defence in depth concept to prevent and mitigate
Developing accident management procedures
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32. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 9: Emergency preparedness and response
Arrangements must be made for emergency preparedness and response for nuclear or radiation incidents
Effective response at all levels
Ensure that the risk is minor
Mitigate consequences
Proper arrangements in advance
Consider all reasonably foreseeable
events
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33. Fundamental Safety Principles (cont.)
Principle 10: Protective actions to reduce existing or unregulated radiation risks
Protective actions to reduce existing or unregulated radiation risks must be justified and optimized
Radiation risks in situations other than in regulated facilities and activities
Protective actions are justified if they yield sufficient benefit to outweigh radiation risks
Optimized to result the greatest reasonably achievable benefit
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34. Review of compliance with SSs
Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS)
to peer review the host country’s nuclear and radiation safety regulatory regime against the IAEA Safety Standards
Modular review by international experts (15-20)
Core regulatory activities Modules
Mission report with Recommendations, Suggestions, Good Practices (findings)
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35. What is an IRRS mission for?
IRRS is meant to provide
an opportunity for continuous improvement for the host RB through self-assessment and through peer review by an international expert team
a review of the technical and policy issues relevant for the host country
an opportunity to share and exchange experience and discuss issues with international experts
a contribution to the harmonization of regulatory approaches among Member States
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36. What is not an IRRS mission for?
The IRRS missions are NOT meant to
inspect regulatory or operator activity in the host country
form any judgment on the host country regulatory regime or practice
to provide comparison among Member States
Therefore the number of findings is in no way a measure of the status of the regulatory body. Comparisons of such numbers between IRRS reports from different countries should not be attempted.
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37. IRRS Missions to date IRRS Modules Reg'l WS on IAEA SSs and WENRA RLs
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38. IRRS mission sites (2006 – 2012) Reg'l WS on IAEA SSs and WENRA RLs
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39. Inviting a mission
Regulatory bodies in the region are highly encouraged to invite IRRS missions
Invitation is to be addressed to the DDG for Nuclear Safety and Security of IAEA
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40. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
Ivan Lux, IAEA NSNI RAS,
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