Deterministic Safety Analysis for Nuclear Power Plants. IAEA Specific Safety Guide

Abstract

The IAEA’s Statute authorizes the Agency to establish safety standards to
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\nprotect health and minimize danger to life and property — standards which the
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\nIAEA must use in its own operations, and which a State can apply by means of its
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\nregulatory provisions for nuclear and radiation safety. A comprehensive body of
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\nsafety standards under regular review, together with the IAEA’s assistance in their
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\napplication, has become a key element in a global safety regime.
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\nIn the mid-1990s, a major overhaul of the IAEA’s safety standards
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\nprogramme was initiated, with a revised oversight committee structure and a
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\nsystematic approach to updating the entire corpus of standards. The new
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\nstandards that have resulted are of a high calibre and reflect best practices in
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\nMember States. With the assistance of the Commission on Safety Standards, the
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\nIAEA is working to promote the global acceptance and use of its safety standards.
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\nSafety standards are only effective, however, if they are properly applied in
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\npractice. The IAEA’s safety services — which range in scope from engineering
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\nsafety, operational safety, and radiation, transport and waste safety to regulatory
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\nmatters and safety culture in organizations — assist Member States in applying
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\nthe standards and appraise their effectiveness. These safety services enable
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\nvaluable insights to be shared and I continue to urge all Member States to make
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\nuse of them.
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\nRegulating nuclear and radiation safety is a national responsibility, and
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\nmany Member States have decided to adopt the IAEA’s safety standards for use in
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\ntheir national regulations. For the contracting parties to the various international
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\nsafety conventions, IAEA standards provide a consistent, reliable means of
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\nensuring the effective fulfilment of obligations under the conventions. The
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\nstandards are also applied by designers, manufacturers and operators around the
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\nworld to enhance nuclear and radiation safety in power generation, medicine,
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\nindustry, agriculture, research and education.
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\nThe IAEA takes seriously the enduring challenge for users and regulators
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\neverywhere: that of ensuring a high level of safety in the use of nuclear materials
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\nand radiation sources around the world. Their continuing utilization for the
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\nbenefit of humankind must be managed in a safe manner, and the IAEA safety
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\nstandards are designed to facilitate the achievement of that goal.