ASN Report 2017

159 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Chapter 05  - Radiological emergency and post-accident situations primarily aims to preserve the operational nature of the contingency plans, in particular for sheltering and evacuation, limiting the population numbers concerned whenever possible. It focuses on the PPI “reflex” zones, determined by the Circular of 10th March 2000 revising the off-site emergency plans for BNIs, the pertinence of which was confirmed by the instruction of 3rd October 2016. In these “reflex” zones, immediate steps to protect the population are taken in the event of a rapidly developing accident. A Circular from the Ministry responsible for the Environment of 17th February 2010 concerning the control of activities in the vicinity of BNIs liable to present dangers off the site asked the Prefects to exercise increased vigilance with regard to urban development in the vicinity of nuclear facilities. This Circular states that the greatest possible attention must be paid to projects that are sensitive owing to their size, their purpose, or the difficulties they could entail in terms of protection of the general public in the “reflex” zone. ASN is consulted on construction or urban development projects situated within this zone. The opinions issued are based on the principles explained in ASN Guide No. 15 on the control of activities around BNIs published in 2016. This guide, drawn up by a pluralistic working group jointly overseen by ASN and the General Directorate for Risk Prevention (DGPR), comprising elected officials and the National Association of Local Information Commissions and Committees (Anccli), has the following basic objectives: ཛྷ ཛྷ preserve the operational nature of the contingency plans; ཛྷ ཛྷ prefer regional development outside the “reflex” zone; ཛྷ ཛྷ allow controlled development that meets the needs of the resident population. 1.3 Organising a collective response The response by the public authorities to a major nuclear or radiological accident is determined by a number of texts concerning nuclear safety, radiation protection, public order and civil protection, as well as by the emergency plans. Act 2004-811 of 13th August 2004 on the modernisation of civil protection, makes provision for an updated inventory of risks, an overhaul of operational planning, performance of exercises involving the general public, information and training of the general public, an operational watching brief and alert procedures. Several Decrees implementing this Act, codified in Articles L. 741-1 to L 741-32 of the Domestic Security Code, more specifically concerning the ORSEC plans and PPIs, clarified it in 2005. How radiological emergency situations are dealt with is specified in the Interministerial Directive of 7th April 2005 on the action of the public authorities in the case of an event leading to a radiological emergency situation (see Diagram 1). Thus, at the national level, ASN is actively involved in interministerial work on nuclear emergency management. Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, considerable thought was given nationally and internationally to consolidating and, as applicable, improving the response organisation of the public authorities. Indeed, this accident showed that it was necessary to improve preparation for the occurrence of a multi-faceted accident (natural disaster, accident affecting several facilities simultaneously). The response organisations thus put into place must be robust and capable of managing a large-scale emergency over a long period of time. Better advance planning must be carried out for work done under ionising radiation and, in order to provide effective support for the country affected, international relations must be improved. At the international level, ASN is taking part in the experience feedback work being done by international bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and within regulatory authority networks such as the WENRA or HERCA (Heads of the European Radiological protection Competent Authorities) (see point 2.2.2). DIAGRAM 1: Major nuclear or radiological accident national response plan