|
The nuclear industry is highly regulated for the benefit of the public, the workforce and the environment. Health & Safety performance in the industry is vitally important to all the licensed site operators and good safety culture is nurtured - such as the no-blame culture, whereby near-misses and minor incidents are reported routinely in order to learn lessons and avoid similar situations reoccurring. Legislation
The principal legislation is in the Nuclear Installations Acts, the Ionising Radiations Regulations (IRR) 1985, amended in 1999 and the Energy Bill 2004.
Regulation
The main regulators are:
• Health and Safety Executive - Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (HSE NII), which licenses the nuclear sites under standard form conditions
• Environment Agency (EA) which grants discharge permits for sites in England and Wales
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).
The HSE has inspectors responsible for each licensed nuclear site.
Radiation Protection
HSE NII maintains the Radiation Protection regime under IRR. The National Radiological Protection Board advises Government on matters of radiation protection. Information on the Radiation Protection regime is given in HSE publications - see Radiation Homepage.
Classified Workers
Many nuclear industry personnel are Classified Workers. Every person who works with certain levels of radioactivity or in a controlled radioactive environment must be registered as a Classified Worker. Classified Workers must be over 18 and must be fit, normally without respiratory problems, being verified by annual medicals. Lifetime dose records are maintained for all Classified Workers.
|
