Thirty participants from regulatory bodies, technical support organizations and operating organizations in 30 countries gathered in Vienna recently to learn about the role, history, structure, principles, development and overall philosophy of the IAEA safety standards in the first training course offered by the Agency on the ‘IAEA Safety Standards Overview’.
The IAEA safety standards are a series of publications that contain principles, requirements and recommendations to achieve a high level of nuclear and radiation safety worldwide. Since the first IAEA safety standard was published in 1958, they have served as the global reference for national regulatory systems, and many countries adopt the Agency’s standards for use in their national regulations. They also form the basis for several international legal instruments.
"Lithuania always aims for higher standards in radiation protection of workers, patients, members of public and environment,” said Miglė Žiukė, Chief Specialist, Radiation Protection Division of Lithuania, a participant in the recently concluded training. “Implementation of the IAEA safety standards in national framework helps to reach this goal. As an inspector, I am required to interface with the safety standards on a regular basis and not only understand them well myself, but also to be able to explain the requirements to registrants and licensees.”
The IAEA also offers countries a wide array of review services to assess actual national practices against the IAEA safety standards.
Saudi Arabia is embarking on an Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, provisionally planned for late next year. “This training course provided us with information on how to implement the safety standards effectively, which will support us in preparation for the mission,” said Shahd Noli, Medical Physicist, Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC) of Saudi Arabia. “It was also a great opportunity to get to know the participants from several other Member States and share experiences and good practices."
Although the IAEA offers training on the application of the safety standards in specific technical areas, this is the first training course focused on enhancing awareness of the safety standards as a whole.