ASN Report 2015

1.1.3 The response to other radiological

emergency situations

Apart from incidents affecting nuclear installations or a

radioactive substances transport operation, radiological

emergency situations can also occur:

•

during performance of a nuclear activity, whether for

medical, research or industrial purposes;

•

in the event of intentional or inadvertent dispersal of

radioactive substances into the environment;

•

if radioactive sources are discovered in places where

they are not supposed to be.

In such cases, intervention is necessary to put an end to

any risk of human exposure to ionising radiation.

ASN, together with the Ministries and stakeholders

concerned, drafted Government Circular DGSNR/

DHOS/DDSC 2005/1390 of 23rd December 2005. This

supplements the provisions of the Interministerial Directive

of 7th April 2005 and defines the organisation of the

State services for radiological emergency situations not

covered by anOrsec, PPI-Orsec or Pirate-NRBC (nuclear,

radiological, biological, chemical) plan.

exercises and training”.

This Decree also stipulates the

characteristics of the facilities or structures for which

the Prefect is required to define a PPI.

The PPI specifies the initial actions to be taken to protect the

general public, the roles of the various services concerned,

the systems for giving the alert, and the human and

material resources likely to be engaged in order to protect

the general public.

The PPI falls within the framework of the ORSEC plan

(Disaster and Emergency Response Organisation) that

specifies the protective measures implemented in large-

scale emergencies. Consequently, beyond the perimeter

established by the PPI, the modular and progressive

departmental or zone ORSEC plan applies in full.

More broadly, the Interministerial Directive of 7th April

2005 concerning the actions takenby the public authorities

in response to an event leading to a radiological emergency

situation sets the framework for the response by the

public authorities and the steps they must take if an

event could result in a radiological emergency situation

leading to activation of the ORSEC or PPI-ORSEC plan,

or one of the PIRATE plans

1.1.2 The accident response plans for the transport

of radioactive substances

Radioactive substances transport represents nearly amillion

packages carried in France every year. The dimensions,

weight, radiological activity and corresponding safety

implications can varywidely fromone package to another.

Pursuant to the international regulations on dangerous

goods, those involved in the transport of dangerous goods

must take steps appropriate to the nature and scale of

the foreseeable hazards, in order to avoid damage or, as

applicable, tomitigate the effects. These steps are described

in amanagement plan for events linked toRMT. The ideal

content of these plans is defined in ASN Guide No. 17.

To deal with the eventuality of a radioactive substances

transport accident in their

département

, each Prefect

includes a part devoted to radioactive substances transport

accidents in their versionof the

“Major nuclear or radiological

accident”

national response plan. Facedwith the diversity

of possible types of transport operations, this part of the

plan defines the criteria and simple measures enabling

the first respondents (Departmental Fire and Emergency

Service (SDIS) and lawenforcement services inparticular)

to initiate the first reflex responsemeasures to protect the

general public and sound the alert, basedon their findings

on the site of the accident.

1. Plans which are part of a larger system of vigilance,

prevention, protection and counter-terrorism.

The “Major nuclear or radiological accident”

national response Plan

ASN took part in drafting the

“Major nuclear or radiological

accident”

national response plan under the supervision of

the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security

(SGDSN), a department reporting to the Prime Minister. The

plan was published in February 2014 and represents the

Government’s requirements regarding the safety of facilities

and of nuclear transport operations, such as to address

emergency situations of all types. It supplements the existing

local planning arrangements (PUI – On-site Emergency

Plan and PPI – Off-site Emergency Plan) and clarifies the

organisation of the national response in the event of a nuclear

accident.

This national response Plan takes account of changing

modelling and measurement technology and is better able

to anticipate the possible consequences of an accident, to

mitigate them and measure their implications more rapidly. It

also includes elements of post-accident doctrine established

by the Codirpa, the international nature of emergencies and

the mutual assistance possibilities in the case of an event.

In 2015, the local implementation of this plan began in the

French

départements

, under the supervision of the defence

and security zone Prefects. It must take account of the

diversity of local situations and will first of all entail updating

the existing planning measures in accordance with the

method proposed by the guide issued by the Ministry of the

Interior at the end of 2014.

TO BE NOTED

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CHAPTER 05:

RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS

ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015