Safety Standards for Radioactive Waste Management

Abstract

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has established the Radioactiee Waste Safety Standards (RADWAS)) programme upon request by its Member States to provide evidence that radioactive waste can be managed safely. The RADWASS programme consists of a series of fifty-five internaiionll consensus documenss covering all parts of radioactive waste management, i.e. the subject areas:PlanningPre-disposalNear surface disposalGeological disposalU/Th mining and millingDecommissioningA single Safety Fundamentals document will set out the basic safety principles for radioactive waste management. Each subject area is headed by a Safety Standard. Twenty-eight Safety Guides and twenty Safety Practices will provide further details for the implementation of safety requirements stated in the Safety Standards. The programme was started in 1991 and is being carried out in three phases (Phase I: 1991–1994; Phase II: 1995–1998; Phase III: post 1998). Phase I includes twelve documents comprising the Safety Fundamentals, four Safety Standards, five Safety Guides and two Safety Practices. The Safety Fundamentals and the Safety Standards are planned to be submitted to the Board of Governors for review and approval in 1994. Four of the Safety Guides have been or will soon be submitted for publication and the fifth will be finalised by the end of 1994. One Safety Practice on ‘Application of Exemption Principles’ was published at the end of 1992 and the second Safety Practice of Phase I is planned to be finalised in 1994. The thirty-seventh regular session gf the General Conference in the 361st plenary meeting adopted the resolution ‘Strengthening Nuclear Safety’ through the early conclusion of a Nuclear Safety Convention. It calls for ‘Measures to Strengthen International Co-operation in Matters Relating to Nuclear Safety and Radiological Protection’ and requests the Director General inter alia to initiate preparations for a convention on the safety of waste management as soon as the ongoing process of developing the RADW ASS Safety Fundamentals has resulted in broad international agreement. Approval of the document by the Board of Governors will be an important step toward convening the waste management Safety Convention. It is intended to finalise work on Phase I (1991–1994) documents by the end of 1994. Phase II envisages the initial preparation of thirteen documents comprising one Safety Standard, eleven Safety Guides and one Safety Practice. It is planned to start some of these activities in 1994.