ASN Report 2015

transport accounts for about

90% of radioactive substances

shipments, rail 3% and sea 4%. Air

transport is widely used for small

and urgent packages over long

distances, for example, low activity

radiopharmaceutical products. All of

these shipments can be international.

The main participants in transport

arrangements are the consignor

and the carrier. The consignor is

responsible for package safety.

ASN checks that transport safety

regulations are correctly applied for

radioactive and fissile substances

used for civil purposes. The major

risks in the transport of radioactive

substances are the risks of irradiation,

contamination, criticality, but also

toxicity or corrosion. To prevent

them, the radioactive substances in the

packagesmust be protected fromfire,

mechanical impact,water ingress into

the packaging facilitating criticality

reactions, chemical reactionbetween

package components, etc. Safety is

thus basedabove all on the robustness

of the package, which is the subject

of rigorous regulatory requirements.

Given the international nature of these

shipments, the regulations are drawn

up on the basis of recommendations

issued under the aegis of the

International Atomic EnergyAgency

(IAEA). Although all packages must

comply with strict rules, only 3%

require ASN approval.

Significant events

Since thepublicationof theBNIOrder

on 7th February 2012, radioactive

substances internal transport

operations must be covered by

the installations’ internal baseline

requirements.In2015,ASNcontinued

to examine the general operating rules

for internal transports at EDF and

Areva La Hague. ASN also updated

the guide intended for industrial

firms wishing to submit a transport

package approval application toASN

and opened it to public consultation

in 2015.

In 2015, ASN issued 43 approval

certificates.

ASN performs inspections at all the

stages in the life of a package: from

manufacture and maintenance of a

packaging, to package preparation,

shipment and reception. In 2015,

ASN carried out 98 inspections in

radioactive substance transport (all

sectors considered).

ASN in particular inspected the

manufacture of castings for the

first TN G3 container designed to

transport spent fuels fromNPPs and

theManon package for the transport

of radioactive sources. It inspected

transhipment at the rail terminal in

Valognes (Manche

département

) of

vitrified waste packages from the

reprocessing plant in Sellafield (Great

Britain) and intended for Switzerland.

An inspector from the competent

Swiss Authority and representatives

of HCTISNmember associations took

part in this inspection as observers.

ASNpublished the update of its guide

for packages not requiring approval.

When it inspected these packages

and despite noting improvements,

ASN also found that the designers

of type A package models must

continue to make efforts, notably

on the representative nature of the

tests performed and the associated

safety case.

ASN’s inspections reveal deficiencies

in familiarity with regulations and

responsibilities on the part of the

transport players in the fieldof small-

scale nuclear activities, the medical

sector in particular.

In the event of an accident,

management of an emergency

involving transport should be able

to mitigate the consequences for

the public and the environment. In

2015, ASNcarriedout two inspections

on the topic of preparedness for

emergency situations and inspected

the emergency plans put into place

by the main industrial players in the

sector. ASNtookpart inanemergency

exercise simulating an accident in the

Saône-et-Loire

département

, involving

the services of the Prefect and the

emergency services.

ASNmust benotifiedof anydeviation

from the regulations or the safety

files applicable to the transport of

radioactive substances. In2015, ASN

beganitsupdateoftheguidespecifying

the notification procedures.

In 2015, concerning the transport

of radioactive substances, ASN was

notified of 56 level 0 events, nine

level 1 events and one level 2 event.

In particular, in March 2015, an

incident rated level 2 concerned a

gamma ray projector containing a

high-level source which was not in

the safe position during shipment.

Morethanhalfoftheeventsarenotified

by the industrial stakeholders in the

nuclear cycle (EDF and Areva in

particular). About one fifth of the

significant events concern radioactive

pharmaceutical products. The small-

scale nuclear sectors are the cause of

relatively few transport events when

compared with the corresponding

traffic levels, probably owing to a

lack of notification.

In 2015, ASN adopted a resolution

requiring that companies transporting

radioactive substances in full or in

part on French territory notify ASN

andcarryout a radioactive substances

transportaccidentemergencyexercise.

Outlook

During its inspections in 2016, ASN

will continue to focus on internal

transports on nuclear sites, on the

manufacture and maintenance

of packages, on preparedness for

emergency situations and on non-

approvedpackages. Itwill implement

the notification systemfor companies

transporting radioactive substances.

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

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN 2015