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NANTES DIVISION
1.3 Radiation protection
in the industrial and research sectors
Industrial radiography
Eleven inspections were carried out in 2015, enabling
all the gamma radiography professionals of the
Pays de la Loire and Bretagne regions to be inspected
over a period of three years. ASN notes that the inspected
organisations on the whole satisfy the regulatory
requirements concerning the organisation of radiation
protection, operator training, monitoring exposed
workers and equipment maintenance.
Progress nevertheless remains to be made in internal
and external radiation protection controls, particularly
following reception, maintenance or reloading of the
devices, and in terms of the analysis of doses received
by workers, bringing exposure bunkers into conformity
and setting up operation zones on worksites.
Universities and laboratories or research centres
Four inspections were carried out in the field of public
research in 2015, which means that ASN has inspected
more than 85%of the organisations in this sector over the
last ten years. ASNobserves the continued regularisation of
administrative situations, which also results in the cessation
of activities. The involvement of the persons competent
in radiation protection enables practices to be turned
towards techniques that reduce personnel exposure, and
even techniques that no longer use radioactive sources.
Progress is still expected with regard to the waste and
effluent management plans, the tracking of source and
waste inventories and the formalising of the periodic
radiation protection control programmes. The internal
radiation protection technical controls are not carried
out exhaustively.
1.4 Nuclear safety and radiation
protection in the transport
of radioactive substances
ASN carried out 11 inspections focusing specifically on
radioactive substance transport operations in 2015. These
inspection more specifically concerned six companies
specialised in the transport of radiopharmaceuticals and
two companies receiving and shipping radioactive sources.
The theme of radioactive substance transport was also
addressed during several inspections of companies
transporting sources in order to use them in their main
activity (transport of gamma radiography devices to
worksites, for example).
The inspections of radiopharmaceuticals transport
companies reveal a generally good standard of compliance
with applicable regulatory requirements. Themain findings
concern the quality of package tie-down in the vehicle and
the operating condition of certain on-board equipment
items required by regulations (flashlights in particular).
In two cases it was noted that driver protection could be
improved by introducing additional protections.
With regard to the companies that ship and receive
packages or perform transport operations as part of
their main activity, themain regulatory requirements are
properly compliedwith. Progress is nevertheless required
in the formalising of responsibilities and putting in place
a management system, and in the filling out of transport
documents. Several deviations were moreover noted
in the training of workers, in the absence of follow-up
to the recommendations made by the safety advisor of
the entities concerned, and in the completeness of the
on-board equipment.
1.5 Radiation protection
of the public and the environment
Radon
ASNhas participatedwith the city of Nantes in organising
campaigns for radonmeasurement in private homes since
2009. These campaigns form the subject of two public
meetings, the first endingwith the issuing of dosimeters to
the inhabitants of the districts concerned by the campaign,
and the second at which the measurement results are
returned and remediation actions are proposed. In 2015,
the Nantes division made contributions during these
information meetings.
Moreover, within the framework of the Pays de la
Loire region’s Regional Health and Environment Plan
(PRSE2) coordinated by the Dreal and the ARS, the
Nantes division is a member of the steering committee
which published an information brochure on radon in
the Pays de la Loire enabled a drafting of a guide to the
development of training modules on the radon issue
for building industry professionals. Furthermore, ASN
responded to the requests of
UFC-Que Choisir
, funded by
the PRSE2, to speak at the public information meetings
on radon in the home.
Still in Pays de la Loire, the Nantes division participated
in the working group on the PRSE3 in order to be a source
of proposals and to coordinate the radon-related actions,
alongside the ARS and Dreal. ASNwill participate in the
same manner in Brittany, where the working groups will
meet in 2016.
Mining sites
ASN conducted two inspections on the former mining
sites: one in the Morbihan and the other in Pays de la
Loire as part of the tracking of the actions defined in the
MEEDDM/ASN Circular of 22nd July 2009.
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CHAPTER 08 :
REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015