ASN Report 2015

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Table 3 presents the headcount of inspectors as at
31st December 2015. Some inspectors operate in
several inspection areas, and all the operational entity
heads and their deputies fulfil both managerial and
inspection functions.
Most of the inspections are carried out by inspectors
assigned to the regional divisions, who represent 56%
of the ASN inspectors. The 117 inspectors assigned to
the departments take part in the ASN inspection effort
within their field of competence; they represent 44%
of the inspector headcount and performed 13% of the
inspections in 2015.
Since 2009, ASNhas carried out about 2,000 inspections
every year, including about 37% in BNIs and activities
linked to pressure equipment, 58% in small-scale nuclear
activities, Approved Organisations and Laboratories
(OA-LA) and 5% for the transport of radioactive
substances (see table 5).
In 2015, 1,882 inspections were carried out, including
591 in the BNIs, 67 in activities linked to Pressure
Equipment, 98 in radioactive substances transport
activities, 1,003 in activities employing ionising
radiation and 123 in approved organisations and
laboratories. These 1,882 inspections represent
2,024 days of coordination of inspections in the field.
This number is down by comparison with 2014 owing
to a fall in ASN’s inspection capacity due to high
inspector turnover and the time needed to train the
new inspectors.
Graph 1 shows the trend in the number of inspections
and inspectors between 2009 and 2015.
ASN inspections programme
To guarantee a distribution of the inspection resources
proportionate to the safety and radiation protection
implications of the various facilities and activities, each
year ASN drafts a forecast inspections schedule, taking
into account the inspection implications (see point 2.1).
This schedule is not communicated to the licensees or
to those in charge of nuclear activities.
ASN ensures qualitative and quantitative monitoring
of performance of the programme and the follow-up
given to the inspections through periodic reviews.
They enable the inspected activities to be assessed
and contribute to the continuous improvement of the
inspection process.
Information relative to the inspections
ASN informs the public of the follow-up to the inspections
by posting the inspection follow-up letters on-line at
.
Moreover, for each in-depth inspection, ASN publishes
an information notice on .
3.2.4 Inspection of Basic Nuclear Installations (BNIs)
and pressure equipment
In 2015, 658 inspections were carried out to check
BNIs and pressure equipment, more than 21% of which
were unannounced.
These inspections can be broken down into
330 inspections in the NPPs, 261 in the other BNIs (fuel
cycle facilities, research facilities, facilities undergoing
decommissioning, etc.) and 67 for pressure equipment.
In the BNIs, an in-depth inspection was carried out in
2015 in the Bugey NPP, on the topic “Safety management
and organisation”.
The inspection breakdown by family of topics is shown
in graph 2. The topics related to nuclear safety and social,
organisational and human factors represent more than
50% of the BNI inspections. 10% of the inspections
are devoted to environmental monitoring topics and
to waste and effluents in the BNIs.
Of the 330 inspections carried out in the NPPs in 2015,
nearly one third covered topics related to maintenance
and operation. Social, organisational and human factors,
the environment and the prevention and management
of hazards are the other topics most widely inspected
by ASN.
The ASN labour inspectors also carried out
583 interventions during the 174 inspection days in
the NPPs.
In 2015, the 261 inspections carried out in the LUDD
sites (laboratories, plants, waste and decommissioning)
primarily concerned the “general inspection” and “status
of systems, equipment and buildings” (checks, tests,
ageing, works, etc.)” topics.
With regard to pressure equipment, ASN carried out
67 inspections in 2015 including 42 in the field of
in-service monitoring of equipment, 18 on monitoring
of recognised inspection services and 7 in the field
of inspecting the design and manufacture of nuclear
pressure equipment. ASN’s Nuclear Pressure Equipment
Department has received ISO 17020 accreditation from
the French accreditation committee (Cofrac).
141 CHAPTER 04: REGULATION OF NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES AND EXPOSURE TO IONISING RADIATION
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015