The vehicles carrying packages of radioactive substances must also have specific markings. Like all vehicles carrying dangerous goods, they carry an orange-coloured plate at the front and back. They must also carry a placard with the radiation trefoil and the word “Radioactive”. The purpose of these vehicle markings is to provide the emergency services with the necessary information in the event of an accident. 2.4.3 Responsibilities of the various transport players The regulations define the responsibilities of the various parties involved during the lifetime of a package, from its design up to the actual shipment. These responsibilities entail special requirements. Therefore: ∙ The package model designer shall have designed and sized the packaging in accordance with the intended conditions of use and the regulations. It must obtain an ASN certificate (or in certain cases a certificate from a foreign authority) for type B or fissile packages containing UF6. ∙ The manufacturer must produce packaging in accordance with the description given by the package designer. ∙ The consignor is responsible for providing the carrier with a package complying with the requirements of the regulations. It must in particular ensure that the substance is authorised for transport, verify that the package is appropriate for its content, use a package that is approved (if necessary) and in good condition, carry out dose rate and contamination measurements and label the package. ∙ Transport may be organised by the forwarding agent. They are responsible, on behalf of the consignor or the consignee, for obtaining all the necessary authorisations and for sending the various notifications required by the regulations. The forwarding agent also selects the conveyance, the carrier and the itinerary, in compliance with the regulatory requirements. ∙ The loader is responsible for loading the package onto the vehicle and for stowing it in accordance with the consignor’s specific instructions and the rules of good professional practice. ∙ The carrier and, more particularly, the driver, is responsible for carriage of the shipment to its destination. Their duties include checking the good condition of the vehicle, the presence of the on-board equipment (extinguishers, driver’s personal protection equipment, etc.), compliance with the dose rate limits around the vehicle and the display of the orange plates and placards. ∙ The consignee is under the obligation not to postpone acceptance of the goods, without imperative reason and, after unloading, to verify that the requirements concerning them have been satisfied. It must more specifically perform dose rate measurements on the package after receipt in order to detect any problems that may have occurred during shipment. ∙ The package owner must set up a maintenance system in conformity with that described in the safety case and the approval certificate in order to guarantee that the elements important for safety are maintained in good condition. All the transport players must set up a quality management system (previously called a “management system”), which consists of a range of provisions for guaranteeing compliance with the regulatory requirements and providing proof thereof. This for example consists in performing double independent checks on the most important operations, in adopting a system of checklists to ensure that the operators forget nothing, in keeping a trace of all the operations and all the checks performed, etc. The quality management system is a key element in ensuring the reliability of transport operations. 3. teleservices.asn.fr In 2023, ASN will be updating its 2005 Guide intended for professionals involved in radioactive substances transport operations and which specifies ASN’s requirements regarding the contents of a quality management system. It will notably emphasise, the graded approach, with the level of requirements for the management system being proportionate to the safety implications of the activity of these professionals and the size of the company concerned. The regulations also require that all operators involved in transport receive training appropriate to their functions and responsibilities. This training must in particular cover the steps to be taken in the event of an accident. Contractors which carry, load, unload or handle (after loading and before unloading) packages of radioactive substances on French soil shall declare these transport activities to the ASN on-line services portal(3) before carrying them out. This on-line service is also available in English. The transport of certain radioactive substances (notably fissile substances) must first be notified by the consignor to ASN and to the Ministry of the Interior, seven days prior to departure. This notification stipulates the materials carried, the packagings used, the transport conditions and the details of the consignor, the carrier and the consignee. It is a means of ensuring that the public authorities have rapid access to useful information in the event of an accident. In 2022, 1,423 notifications were sent to ASN. 2.5 Preparedness for management of emergencies The management of emergency situations is the final level of “Defence in Depth”. In the event of an accident involving transport, it should be able to mitigate the consequences for persons and the environment. As a transport accident can happen anywhere in the country, it is probable that the emergency services arriving on the scene would have no specific training in radiological risks and that the population in the vicinity would be unaware of this particular risk. It is therefore particularly important that the national emergency response organisation be robust enough to take account of these points. In this respect, the regulations set obligations on the various stakeholders in the field of transport. All those involved must therefore immediately alert the emergency services in the event of an accident. This is more particularly true for the carrier, who would in principle be the first party to be informed. It must also transmit the alert to the consignor. Furthermore, the vehicle crew must have written instructions available in the cab, stipulating the first steps to be taken in the event of an accident (for example: trip the circuit-breaker, if the vehicle is so equipped, to prevent any outbreak of fire). Once the alert has been given, the parties involved must cooperate with the public authorities to assist with the response operations, including by providing all pertinent information in their possession. This in particular concerns the carrier and the consignor who have information about the package and its contents that is of great value for determining the appropriate measures to be taken. To meet these regulatory obligations, ASN recommends that the parties involved implement emergency response plans allowing the organisation and tools to be defined in advance, enabling them to react efficiently in the event of an actual emergency. ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2022 273 • 09 • Transport of radioactive substances 09 01 07 08 13 AP 04 10 06 12 14 03 05 11 02
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