ASN Report 2020

ASN examines and approves the management plans for events linked to the transport of radioactive substances drawn up by the stakeholders in the transport of such substances pursuant to the international regulations for the carriage of dangerous goods. These plans describe the steps to be taken, depending on the nature and scale of the foreseeable hazards, in order to avoid damage or, as necessary, mitigate the effects. The content of these plans is defined in ASN Guide No. 17. To deal with the possibility of a radioactive substances transport accident, each département Prefect must include in their implementation of the PNRANRM a part devoted to this type of accident, the Orsec Transport of Radioactive Materials (TMR) plan. Faced with 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 law enforcement services in particular) to initiate the first reflex response measures to protect the general public and sound the alert, based on their findings on the site of the accident. 1.1.3 The response to other radiological emergency situations Apart from the incidents or accidents which could affect nuclear installations or radioactive substances transport operations, radiological emergency situations can also occur: ∙ during performance of a nuclear activity 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 limit the risk of human exposure to ionising radiation. Together with the Ministries and the parties concerned, ASN therefore drafted Circular DGSNR/ DHOS/DDSC 2005/1390 of 23 December 2005 relative to the principles of intervention in the case of an event that could lead to a radiological emergency, other than situations covered by a contingency plan or an emergency response plan. This Circular supplements the provisions of the Interministerial Directive of 7 April 2005 on the action of the public authorities in the case of an event leading to a radiological emergency situation presented in point 1.3 and defines the methods for the organisation of the State services in these situations. Given the large number of potential originators of an alert and the corresponding alert circuits, all the alerts are centralised in a single location, which then distributes them to all the stakeholders: this is the fire brigade’s centralised alert processing centre, the Département Operational Fire and Emergency Centre – Alert Processing Centre (CODIS-CTA), that can be reached by calling 18 or 112. The management of accidents of malicious origin occurring outside BNIs are not covered by this Circular, but by the Government’s Nuclear, Radiological, Biological and Chemical (NRBC) Plan. 1.1.4 Controlling urban development around nuclear sites The aim of controlling urban development is to limit the consequences of an accident for the population and property. An approach of this type has been in place since 1987 around non-nuclear industrial facilities and was reinforced following the AZF plant accident in Toulouse in 2001. Act 2006-686 of 13 June 2006 concerning Transparency and Security on Nuclear matters (TSN Act, now codified in Books I and V of the Environment Code), enables the public authorities to control urban development around BNIs, by implementing institutional controls limiting or prohibiting new constructions in the vicinity of these facilities. Given the specific nature of nuclear or radiological emergency management and of the corresponding risks, the steps taken for BNIs could be harsher than for Installations Classified for Protection of the Environment (ICPEs) and lead to more stringent measures. The actions to control urban development entail a division of responsibilities between the licensee, the mayors and the State: ∙ The licensee is responsible for its activities and the related risks. ∙ The mayor is responsible for producing the town planning documents and issuing building permits. ∙ The Prefect informs the mayors of the existing risks, verifies the legality of the steps taken by the local authorities and may impose institutional controls as necessary. DIAGRAM 1 Major Nuclear or Radiological Accident National Response Plan 176 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 04 – RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS