ASN Report 2017

22 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 the workplace. A strategy to reduce this exposure is necessary, should the measurements taken exceed the action levels laid down in the regulations. The reference level in premises open to the public and in the workplace was reduced from 400 Bq/m 3 to 300 Bq/m 3 . In the workplace, after optimisation, an annual dose value higher than 6 mSv/year will lead to the workers being classified as “exposed workers”. Basic Nuclear Installations (BNIs): these are the most important nuclear facilities; they are the facilities of the nuclear electricity generating sector (nuclear power plants, main facilities of the “fuel cycle”), the large storage and disposal facilities for radioactive substances, certain research facilities and the large accelerators or irradiators. There are nearly 130 of them, spread over about 40 sites. The legal regime for the BNIs is defined by section IX of Book V of the Environment Code and its implementing Decrees. This regime is said to be “integrated” because it aims to prevent or manage all risks and detrimental effects that a BNI is liable to create for humans and the environment, whether or not radioactive in nature. It in particular requires that the creation of a BNI be authorised by a decree issued on the advice of ASN and that ASN authorise start-up of the installation, stipulate requirements regarding its design and operation with respect to protection of the population and the environment and authorise delicensing of the installation. In the event of final shutdown of a facility, its licensee proceeds with decommissioning in the conditions defined by a decree issued on the advice of ASN in accordance with the principle of immediate dismantling. In 2017, ASN took part in the continued drafting of the regulatory part of the Environment Code for BNIs, the transport of radioactive substances and Pressure Equipment (PE). ASN is working on an overhaul of the BNI general technical regulations: after publication of the Ministerial Order of 7th February 2012 setting the general rules for BNIs, ASN began to publish a series of fifteen statutory resolutions; in 2017, it adopted four resolutions and published four new guides. These guides, which are not legally binding, present ASN doctrine in the form of recommendations. 30 guides have so far been published in all the fields in which ASN is competent. The PE specifically designed for BNIs is subject to particular rules, overhauled in 2015 and  2016, which will be supplemented by an order. This will itself be followed by a number of regulations. The transport of radioactive substances: the safe transport of radioactive substances is based on the “defence in depth” principle involving on the one hand the packaging and its content, which must withstand the foreseeable transport conditions, and on the other the means of transport and its reliability, plus the response measures to be deployed in the event of an incident or accident. The regulations concerning the transport of radioactive materials are based on the IAEA recommendations integrated into the international agreements covering the various modes of dangerous goods transport. At a European level, the regulations are grouped into a single 24th September 2008 Directive, transposed into French law by an amended Order dated 29th May 2009, known as the “TMD Order”. ASN is in particular responsible for approving package models for the most dangerous shipments. Contaminated sites and soils: the management of sites contaminated by residual radioactivity warrants specific radiation protection measures, in particular if remediation is envisaged. Depending on the current and future uses of the site, decontamination objectives must be set and the removal of the waste produced during post-operational clean- out of the contaminated premises and remediation of soil must be managed, from the site up to storage or disposal. The revision of the provisions of the Public Health Code will make it possible to implement institutional controls for contaminated sites and soils. Outlook 2018 will in particular be devoted to continued implementation of the reforms adopted in 2015 and 2016 on the legislative texts and to contributing to preparing the implementing orders for the decrees modifying the Environment, Public Health and Labour Codes. ASN is also expected to adopt resolutions tailoring its oversight more closely to the issues, in particular through a change in the rules applicable in the event of the modification of a BNI and the implementation of the new system for notification and registration of certain small-scale nuclear activities. It will continue to create general technical regulations for BNIs, contribute to the revision of the Order of 7th February 2012 and the definition of the framework applicable to the protection of radioactive sources against malicious acts. Significant events and outlook