Definition
That which is established or required by the Fundamental Safety Principles (IAEA Safety Fundamentals) [EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, IAEA, Vienna (2006).] or IAEA Safety Requirements publications or by (national or international) laws or regulations.
Scope notes
-
Caution: In IAEA publications, requirement (and ‘required’ and other words deriving from the verb ‘to require’) should be used in this sense only. Care should be taken to avoid confusion: the use of ‘requirement’ in the more general sense of something that is necessary should be avoided.
-
Requirements, including numbered ‘overarching’ requirements, are expressed as ‘shall’ statements. Reported (quoted) requirements, e.g. in a Safety Guide, are reported using a formulation such as ‘it is required to…’.
Definition
The achievement of proper operating conditions, prevention of accidents and mitigation of accident consequences, resulting in protection of workers, the public and the environment from undue radiation risks.
Scope notes
- a. Often abbreviated to safety in IAEA publications on nuclear safety. Safety means nuclear safety unless otherwise stated, in particular when other types of safety (e.g. fire safety, conventional industrial safety) are also being discussed. See protection and safety for a discussion of the relationship between nuclear safety and radiation protection.
- b. There is not an exact distinction between the general terms safety and security. In general, security is concerned with intentional actions by people that could cause or threaten harm to other people; safety is concerned with the broader issue of harmful consequences to people (and to the environment) arising from exposure to radiation, whatever the cause.
- c. The interaction between arrangements for security and arrangements for safety depends on the context. Areas in which arrangements for safety and arrangements for security interact include, for example: the regulatory infrastructure; engineering provisions in the design and construction of nuclear installations and other facilities; controls on access to nuclear installations and other facilities; the categorization of radioactive sources; source design; the security of the management of radioactive sources and radioactive material; the recovery of sources that are not under regulatory control; emergency response plans; and radioactive waste management.
- d. See protection and safety for a discussion of the relationship between nuclear safety and radiation protection.
Definition
Standards issued pursuant to Article III(A)(6)8 of the Statute of the IAEA [Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Vienna (1990).].
8 “[The Agency is authorized…] To establish or adopt, in consultation and, where appropriate, in collaboration with the competent organs of the United Nations and with the specialized agencies concerned, standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger to life and property (including such standards for labour conditions)…”
Scope notes
- a. Requirements, regulations, standards, rules, codes of practice or recommendations established to protect people and the environment against ionizing radiation and to minimize danger to life and property.
- b. Safety standards issued since 1997 in the IAEA Safety Standards Series are designated as Safety Fundamentals, Safety Requirements or Safety Guides.
- c. Some safety standards issued prior to 1997 in the (defunct) Safety Series were designated Safety Standards, Codes, Regulations or Rules.
- d. Furthermore, some publications issued in the (defunct) Safety Series were not safety standards, notably those designated Safety Practices or Procedures and Data.
- e. Other IAEA publications, such as Safety Reports and TECDOCs (most of which are issued pursuant to Article VIII of the Statute), are not safety standards.
Definition
The integrated set of infrastructural elements, put in place at the preparedness stage that are necessary to provide the capability for performing a specified function or task required in response to a nuclear or radiological emergency.
Scope notes
- These elements may include: authorities and responsibilities, organization, coordination, personnel, plans, procedures, facilities, equipment or training.
Definition
An emergency in which there is, or is perceived to be, a hazard due to: (a) The energy resulting from a nuclear chain reaction or from the decay of the products of a chain reaction; or (b) Radiation exposure.
Scope notes
- a. Points (a) and (b) approximately represent nuclear and radiological emergencies, respectively. However, this is not an exact distinction.
- b. Radiation emergency is used in some cases when an explicit distinction in the nature of the hazard is immaterial (e.g. national radiation emergency plan), and it has essentially the same meaning.
Definition
1. The prevention and detection of, and response to, criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving nuclear material, other radioactive material, associated facilities or associated activities.
Scope notes
- a. Often abbreviated to security in IAEA publications on nuclear security.
- b. Security of nuclear material for reasons relating to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is outside the scope of the IAEA safety standards and of the IAEA Nuclear Security Series.
- e. The interaction between arrangements for security and arrangements for safety depends on the context. Areas in which arrangements for safety and arrangements for security interact include, for example: the regulatory infrastructure; engineering provisions in the design and construction of nuclear installations and other facilities; controls on access to nuclear installations and other facilities; the categorization of radioactive sources; source design; the security of the management of radioactive sources and radioactive material; the recovery of sources that are not under regulatory control; emergency response plans; and radioactive waste management.
- d. There is not an exact distinction between the general terms safety and security. In general, security is concerned with intentional actions by people that could cause or threaten harm to other people; safety is concerned with the broader issue of harmful consequences to people (and to the environment) arising from exposure to radiation, whatever the cause.
- c. Security of nuclear material for reasons relating to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons is outside the scope of the IAEA safety standards and of the IAEA Nuclear Security Series.
<h2>Definition</h2><p>In the context of the reporting and <i>analysis</i> of <i>events</i>, an <i>event</i> is any occurrence unintended by the <i>operator</i>, including operating error, equipment <i>failure</i> or other mishap, and deliberate action on the part of others, the consequences or potential consequences of which are not negligible from the point of view of <i>protection and safety</i>.</p><h2>Scope notes</h2><ul><li>c. This difference derives from the fact that <i>event</i> reporting and <i>analysis</i> is concerned directly with the question of whether an <i>event</i> that could develop into an <i>accident</i> with significant consequences actually does so; terms such as <i>accident</i> are used only to describe the end result and therefore other terms are needed to describe the earlier stages. See also <i>initiating event</i> and <i>initiating event</i>: <i>postulated initiating event</i>.</li><li>a. <b>Caution: </b>As with <i>INES</i>, the terminology related to the reporting and <i>analysis</i> of <i>events</i> is not consistent with the terminology used in <i>safety standards</i>, and great care should be taken to avoid confusion.</li><li>b. <b>Caution: </b>In particular, the definition of <i>event</i> given above is identical in essence to the <i>safety standards</i> definition (1) of <i>accident</i>.</li><li>d. <i>Event</i> is also used in the phrase ‘features, <i>events</i> and processes’ associated with the site and the <i>facility</i> in the context of <i>site characterization</i> for a <i>disposal facility</i> for <i>radioactive waste</i>.</li><li>e. Relevant features, <i>events</i> and processes relating to the site are those that might influence the long term performance of the <i>disposal facility</i> and thus could affect <i>safety</i>. These are addressed in a <i>safety case</i> and in a supporting <i>safety assessment</i>. <p>Types of events and circumstances </p>
<img src="https://nucleus.iaea.org/sites/nss-oui/Figures/i_8c833feb-4169-44c2-969e-a4337573ef03.JPG " style="width: 480px;"></li></ul>
Definition
The term initiating event (often shortened to initiator) is used in relation to event reporting and analysis, i.e. when such events have occurred.
Definition
A non-routine situation or eventthat necessitates prompt action, primarily to mitigate a hazard or adverse consequences for human life, health, property and the environment.
Scope notes
- a. This includes nuclear and radiological emergencies and conventional emergencies such as fires, release of hazardous chemicals, storms or earthquakes.
- b. It includes situations for which prompt action is warranted to mitigate the effects of a perceived hazard.
- c. All terms and definitions relating to an emergency are taken from [FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, INTERPOL, OECD NUCLEARENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, PREPARATORY COMMISSION FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TESTBAN TREATY ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION, Preparedness and Response for a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 7, IAEA, Vienna (2015).].
Definition
1. Any unintended event, including operating errors, equipment failures and other mishaps, the consequences or potential consequences of which are not negligible from the point of view of protection and safety.
Scope notes
- Caution: In the 2008 INES Manual (INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INES: The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale User’s Manual, 2008 Edition, IAEA, Vienna (2013)), there was a fundamental mismatch between the terminology used in safety standards and the designations used in INES. In short, events that would be considered accidents according to the safety standards definition may be accidents or incidents (i.e. not accidents) in INES terminology. This was not a serious day to day problem because the two areas are quite separate and have quite different purposes. However, it was a potential cause of confusion in communication with the news media and the public.
Definition
The performance of actions to mitigate the consequences of an emergency for human life and health, property and the environment.
Scope notes
- The emergency response also provides a basis for the resumption of normal social and economic activity.
Definition
1. The deliberate physical movement of radioactive material (other than that forming part of the means of propulsion) from one place to another.
Scope notes
- a. The term transportation is also used, in particular in US English or where there is a need to distinguish this meaning of transport from meaning (2).
- c. In some Nuclear Security Series publications addressing transport of nuclear material, transport has also been defined as “International or domestic carriage of nuclear material by any means of transport, beginning with the departure from a nuclear facility of the shipper and ending with the arrival at a nuclear facility of the receiver” [Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, INFCIRC/225/Revision 5, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011)].
- b. In the context of the Transport Regulations, transport comprises all operations and conditions associated with, and involved in, the movement of radioactive material; these include the design, manufacture, maintenance and repair of packaging, and the preparation, consigning, loading, carriage including in-transit storage, shipment after storage, unloading and receipt at the final destination of loads of radioactive material and packages.
Definition
1. Material designated in national law or by a regulatory body as being subject to regulatory control because of its radioactivity.
Scope notes
- a. Some publications in the Nuclear Security Series extend the definition, for the avoidance of doubt, to indicate that “In the absence of such a designation by a State, any material for which protection is required by the current version of the International Basic Safety Standards” [Objective and Essential Elements of a State’s Nuclear Security Regime, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 20, IAEA, Vienna (2013)].
- b. Caution: This is the ‘regulatory’ meaning of radioactive (2), and should not be confused with the ‘scientific’ meaning of radioactive (1): ‘exhibiting radioactivity; emitting or relating to the emission of ionizing radiation or particles’.
- c. Caution: The ‘scientific’ meaning of radioactive (1) — as in radioactive substance — refers only to the presence of radioactivity, and gives no indication of the magnitude of the hazard involved.
- d. Caution: The term radioactive substance is also used to indicate that the ‘scientific’ meaning of radioactive (see radioactive (1)) is intended, rather than the ‘regulatory’ meaning of radioactive (see radioactive (2)) suggested by the term radioactive material.
- e. Caution: However, in some States the term radioactive substance is used for the ‘regulatory’ purpose. It is therefore essential that any such distinctions in meaning are clarified.
- f.Caution: In some Nuclear Security Series publications (e.g. Refs [Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, INFCIRC/225/Revision 5, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011), Nuclear Security Recommendations on Radioactive Material and Associated Facilities, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 14, IAEA, Vienna (2011)]) it is stated or implied that radioactive substance is synonymous with radioactive material, in order to confirm consistency with the 2005 CPPNM Amendment [Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, INFCIRC/274/Rev. 1/Mod. 1 (Corrected), IAEA, Vienna (2021).]. In contexts related to the CPPNM Amendment, the terms are synonymous, but in general they may have different meanings.
- g. In regulatory terminology in some States, radioactive material ceases to be radioactive material when it becomes radioactive waste; the term radioactive substance is used to cover both, that is radioactive substance includes radioactive material and radioactive waste.
- h. Caution:Radioactive material should be used in the singular unless reference is expressly being made to the presence of various types of radioactive material.
Definition
A situation of exposure that already exists when a decision on the need for control needs to be taken.
Scope notes
-
Existing exposure situations include exposure to natural background radiation that is amenable to control; exposure due to residual radioactive material that derives from past practices that were never subject to regulatory control; and exposure due to residual radioactive material deriving from a nuclear or radiological emergency after an emergency has been declared to be ended. See para. 5.1 and Requirement 52 of GSR Part 3 (EUROPEAN COMMISSION, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 3, IAEA, Vienna (2014)).
Definition
The capability to take actions that will effectively mitigate the consequences of an emergency for human life, health, property and the environment.
Definition
1. Any organization or person applying for authorization or authorized to operate an authorized facility or to conduct an authorized activity and responsible for its safety.
Scope notes
- a. Caution: Note that such an organization may be the operating organization before operation starts.
- c. Operating organization includes either those who are directly in control of a facility or an activity during use of a source (such as radiographers or carriers) or, in the case of a source not under control (such as a lost or illicitly removed source or a re-entering satellite), those who were responsible for the source before control over it was lost.
- b. This includes, inter alia, private individuals, governmental bodies, consignors or carriers, licensees, hospitals and self-employed persons.
- d. In practice, for an authorized facility, the operating organization is normally also the registrant or licensee. However, the separate terms are retained to refer to the two different capacities. See also operator
Definition
An organization designated or recognized by a State as being responsible for managing or implementing any aspect of an emergency response.
Scope notes
- This also includes those organizations or services necessary to support the management and/or conduct of an emergency response, such as meteorological services.
Definition
Any action that might be taken, condition that might be applied or procedure that might be followed to fulfil the requirements of Safety Requirements.
Definition
The conditions under which people, animals and plants live or develop and which sustain all life and development; especially such conditions as affected by human activities.
Scope notes
- See also protection of the environment
Definition
A general term encompassing nuclear facilities, uses of all sources of ionizing radiation, all radioactive waste management activities, transport of radioactive material and other practices or circumstances in which people may be subject to exposure to radiation from naturally occurring or artificial sources.
Scope notes
- a. The term facilities and activities is intended to provide an alternative to the terminology of sources and practices (or interventions) to refer to general categories of situations.
- b. For example, a practice may involve many different facilities and/or activities, whereas the general definition (1) of source is too broad in some cases: a facility or activity might constitute a source, or might involve the use of many sources, depending upon the interpretation used.
- c. The term facilities and activities is very general, and includes those for which little or no regulatory control may be necessary or achievable: the more specific terms authorized facility and authorized activity should be used to distinguish those facilities and activities for which any form of authorization has been given.
- d. In the Fundamental Safety Principles (IAEA Safety Fundamentals), the term ‘facilities and activities — existing and new — utilized for peaceful purposes’ is abbreviated for convenience to facilities and activities as a general term encompassing any human activity that may cause people to be exposed to radiation risks arising from naturally occurring or artificial sources (see EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, IAEA, Vienna (2006), para. 1.9).
- f. Facilities and activities are listed as follows in [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Safety Assessment for Facilities and Activities, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 4 (Rev. 1), IAEA, Vienna (2015)]:
‘Facilities’ includes:
- (a) Nuclear power plants;
- (b) Other reactors (such as research reactors and critical assemblies);
- (c) Enrichment facilities and nuclear fuel fabrication facilities;
- (d) Conversion facilities used to generate uranium hexafluoride (UF6);
- (e) Storage facilities and reprocessing plants for irradiated fuel;
- (f) Facilities for radioactive waste management where radioactive waste is treated, conditioned, stored or disposed of;
- (g) Any other places where radioactive materials are produced, processed, used, handled or stored;
- (h) Irradiation installations for medical, industrial, research and other purposes, and any places where radiation generators are installed;
- (i)Facilities where the mining and processing of radioactive ores (such as ores of uranium and thorium) are carried out
‘Activities’ includes:
- (a) The production, use, import and export of radiation sources for medical, industrial, research and other purposes;
- (b) The transport of radioactive material;
- (c) The decommissioning of facilities and the closure of repositories for radioactive waste;
- (d) The close-out of facilities where the mining and processing of radioactive ores was carried out;
- (e) Activities for radioactive waste management such as the discharge of effluents;
- (f) The remediation of sites affected by residues from past activities
- e. For safeguards purposes, see the definition of facility in the Safeguards Glossary [IAEA Safeguards Glossary (2022 Edition), IAEA, Vienna].
Definition
All activities performed to achieve the purpose for which an authorized facility was constructed.
Scope notes
- c. See also abnormal operation and normal operation.
- a. For a nuclear power plant, this includes maintenance, refuelling, in-service inspection and other associated activities.
- b. The terms siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning are normally used to delineate the six major stages of the lifetime of an authorized facility and of the associated licensing process. In the special case of disposal facilities for radioactive waste, decommissioning is replaced in this sequence by closure.
Definition
These include: nuclear facilities; irradiation installations; some mining and raw material processing facilities such as uranium mines; radioactive waste management facilities; and any other places where radioactive material is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or disposed of — or where radiation generators are installed — on such a scale that consideration of protection and safety is required.
Scope notes
- ‘Facilities’ includes:
- (a) Nuclear power plants;
- (b) Other reactors (such as research reactors and critical assemblies);
- (c) Enrichment facilities and nuclear fuel fabrication facilities;
- (d) Conversion facilities used to generate uranium hexafluoride (UF6);
- (e) Storage facilities and reprocessing plants for irradiated fuel;
- (f) Facilities for radioactive waste management where radioactive waste is treated, conditioned, stored or disposed of;
- (g) Any other places where radioactive materials are produced, processed, used, handled or stored;
- (h) Irradiation installations for medical, industrial, research and other purposes, and any places where radiation generators are installed;
- (i)Facilities where the mining and processing of radioactive ores (such as ores of uranium and thorium) are carried out
Definition
2. These include: the production, use, import and export of radiation sources for industrial, research and medical purposes; the transport of radioactive material; the decommissioning of facilities; radioactive waste management activities such as the discharge of effluents; and some aspects of the remediation of sites affected by residues from past activities.
Scope notes
- The intention is to include any human activity that introduces additional sources of radiation or additional exposure pathways, or that modifies the network of exposure pathways from existing sources, so as to increase the exposure or the likelihood of exposure of people or the number of people exposed.
- ‘Activities’ includes:
- (a) The production, use, import and export of radiation sources for medical, industrial, research and other purposes;
- (b) The transport of radioactive material;
- (c) The decommissioning of facilities and the closure of repositories for radioactive waste;
- (d) The close-out of facilities where the mining and processing of radioactive ores was carried out;
- (e) Activities for radioactive waste management such as the discharge of effluents;
- (f) The remediation of sites affected by residues from past activities
Definition
1. An authority or a system of authorities designated by the government of a State as having legal authority for conducting the regulatory process, including issuing authorizations, and thereby regulating the nuclear, radiation, radioactive waste and transportsafety.
Scope notes
- a. The regulatory body is generally a national entity, established and empowered by law, whose organization, management, functions, processes, responsibilities and competences are subject to the requirements of IAEA safety standards.
- b. The national competent authority for the regulation of radioactive materialtransport (see INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material — 2018 Edition, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-6 (Rev. 1), IAEA, Vienna (2018)) is included in this description, as is the regulatory body for protection and safety.
- c. Caution: Supersedes the term regulatory authority, which should not be used.
Definition
Caution: When used in IAEA publications, the term radiation usually refers to ionizing radiation only. The IAEA has no statutory responsibilities in relation to non-ionizing radiation.
Scope notes
-
Ionizing radiation can be divided into low linear energy transfer radiation and high linear energy transfer radiation (as a guide to its relative biological effectiveness), or into strongly penetrating radiation and weakly penetrating radiation (as an indication of its ability to penetrate shielding or the human body).
Definition
The protection of people against exposure to ionizing radiation or exposure due to radioactive material and the safety of sources, including the means for achieving this, and the means for preventing accidents and for mitigating the consequences of accidents if they do occur.
Scope notes
- a. Safety is primarily concerned with maintaining control over sources, whereas (radiation) protection is primarily concerned with controlling exposure to radiation and its effects.
- b. Clearly the two are closely connected: radiation protection (or radiological protection) is very much simpler if the source in question is under control, so safety necessarily contributes towards protection.
- c. Sources come in many different types, and hence safety may be termed the safety of nuclear installations, radiation safety, the safety of radioactive waste management or safety in the transport of radioactive material, but protection (in this sense) is primarily concerned with protecting people against exposure, whatever the source, and so is always radiation protection.
- d. For the purposes of the IAEA safety standards, protection and safety includes the protection of people against ionizing radiation and safety; it does not include non-radiation-related aspects of safety.
- e. Protection and safety is concerned with both radiation risks under normal circumstances and radiation risks as a consequence of incidents, as well as with other possible direct consequences of a loss of control over a nuclear reactor core, nuclear chain reaction, radioactive source or any other source of radiation.
- f. Safety measures include actions to prevent incidents and arrangements put in place to mitigate their consequences if they were to occur.
Definition
[A radiation generator, or a radioactive source or other radioactive material outside the nuclear fuel cycles of research and power reactors.]
Scope notes
-
Caution: Defined in the 2001 edition of the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, but not included in the 2004 edition (see Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, IAEA, Vienna (2004).).
Definition
2. Any material that is either special fissionable material or source material as defined in Article XX of the IAEA Statute.
Scope notes
- a. Nuclear material is necessary for the production of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Under comprehensive safeguards agreements, the IAEA verifies that all nuclear material subject to safeguards has been declared and placed under safeguards.
- b. Certain non-nuclear materials are essential for the use or production of nuclear material and may also be subject to IAEA safeguards under certain agreements.
- d. The Statute of the IAEA [Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Vienna (1990).] uses the term special fissionable material, with the meaning essentially of nuclear material as defined here, but explicitly excluding source material.
- c. For safeguards purposes, see the definition of nuclear material in the Safeguards Glossary [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, IAEA Safeguards Glossary (2022 Edition), IAEA, Vienna].
Definition
1. Any form of control or regulation applied to facilities and activities by a regulatory body for reasons relating to nuclear safety and radiation protection or to nuclear security.
Scope notes
- a. In several publications in the IAEA Nuclear Security Series, a broadly similar definition is established: “Any form of institutional control applied to nuclear material or other radioactive material, associated facilities, or associated activities by any competent authority as required by the legislative and regulatory provisions related to safety, security, or safeguards” [Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, INFCIRC/225/Revision 5, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011), Nuclear Security Recommendations on Radioactive Material and Associated Facilities, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 14, IAEA, Vienna (2011), Nuclear Security Recommendations on Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 15, IAEA, Vienna (2011)].
- b. "out of regulatory control’ refers to the absence of the direct control over material by an authorized person that is or would be mandated by regulatory control for such material, i.e. a situation in which nuclear material or other radioactive material is present without an appropriate authorization, either because controls have failed for some reason, or because they never existed. Material might therefore be designated as out of regulatory control even when some aspects of regulatory control are in place.
Definition
Individual workers engaged in the operation of an authorized facility or the conduct of an authorized activity.
Scope notes
-
Caution: This may be shortened to operator(s), provided that there is no danger of confusion with operator in the sense of operating organization.
Definition
1. Anything that may cause radiation exposure — such as by emitting ionizing radiation or by releasing radioactive substances or radioactive material — and can be treated as a single entity for purposes of protection and safety.
Scope notes
- b. A complex or multiple installation situated at one location or site may, as appropriate, be considered a single source for the purposes of application of safety standards.
- a. For example, materials emitting radon are sources in the environment; a sterilization gamma irradiation unit is a source for the practice of irradiation preservation of food and sterilization of other products; an X ray unit may be a source for the practice of radiodiagnosis; a nuclear power plant is part of the practice of generating electricity by nuclear fission, and may be regarded as a source (e.g. with respect to discharges to the environment) or as a collection of sources (e.g. for purposes of occupational radiation protection purposes).
Definition
1. The state or condition of being subject to irradiation.
Scope notes
-
Caution:
Exposure should not be used as a synonym for dose. Dose is a measure of the effects of exposure.
-
Exposure to ionizing radiation can be broadly divided into categories of exposure (see categories of exposure) according to the status of the individual(s) exposed; into exposure situations according to the circumstances of the exposure; and according to the source of the exposure.
Definition
1. Radioactive substances on surfaces, or within solids, liquids or gases (including the human body), where their presence is unintended or undesirable, or the process giving rise to their presence in such places.
Scope notes
- a. Also used less formally to refer to a quantity, namely the activity on a surface (or on a unit area of a surface).
- c. Caution: The term contamination may have a connotation that is not intended. The term contamination refers only to the presence of radioactivity, and gives no indication of the magnitude of the hazard involved.
- b. Contamination does not include residual material remaining at a site after the completion of decommissioning.
- d. Caution:The term ‘contaminated evidence’ connotes a different meaning for the forensic scientist and for the nuclear forensic scientist. In general forensic science usage, ‘contaminated evidence’ refers to evidence contaminated with extraneous material, and thus compromised. Care should be taken to ensure that there is no possibility of confusion in referring to the presence of radionuclides on or within physical evidence: the term ‘evidence contaminated with radionuclides’ should be used to clarify this meaning.
Definition
1. An action for the purposes of avoiding or reducing doses that might otherwise be received in an emergency exposure situation or an existing exposure situation.
Scope notes
- This is related to radiation protection (see protection (1), and protection and safety).
Definition
An emergency response action other than a protective action.
Scope notes
- The most common other response actions are: medical examination, consultation and treatment; registration and long term medical follow-up; provision of psychological counselling; and public information and other actions for mitigating non-radiological consequences and for public reassurance.
Definition
Outside the site area.
Definition
1. A facility (including associated buildings and equipment) in which nuclear material is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or disposed of.
Scope notes
- a. Also called a nuclear fuel cycle facility. See also facilities and activities and nuclear installation.
- c. For safeguards purposes, see the definition of facility in the Safeguards Glossary [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, IAEA Safeguards Glossary (2022 Edition), IAEA, Vienna].
- b. A nuclear facility is an authorized facility, and this aspect of authorization is made explicit in other broadly similar definitions established in Nuclear Security Series publications, i.e. a nuclear facility is “A facility (including associated buildings and equipment) in which nuclear material is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or disposed of and for which an authorization or licence is required” [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Nuclear Security Recommendations on Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material out of Regulatory Control, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 15, IAEA, Vienna (2011)] or “A facility (including associated buildings and equipment) in which nuclear material is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or disposed of and for which a specific licence is required” [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, INFCIRC/225/Revision 5, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011)].
Definition
The spreading of radioactive material in the environment.
Scope notes
- In normal language synonymous with dispersion, but tends to be used in a general sense, not implying the involvement of any particular processes or phenomena, for example the uncontrolled spreading of material that has escaped from confinement, or as a result of damage to (or the destruction of) a sealed source, special form radioactive material or low dispersible radioactive material.
Definition
The protection of people from harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, and the means for achieving this.
Scope notes
- a. The International Commission on Radiological Protection and others use the term radiological protection, which is synonymous.
- b. The accepted understanding of the term radiation protection is restricted to protection of people. Suggestions to extend the definition to include the protection of non-human species or the protection of the environment are controversial.
Definition
Any person who works, whether full time, part time or temporarily, for an employer and who has recognized rights and duties in relation to occupational radiation protection.
Scope notes
- A self-employed person is regarded as having the duties of both an employer and a worker.
Definition
A person having specified duties as a worker in response to an emergency.
Scope notes
-
Emergency workers may include workers employed, both directly and indirectly, by registrants and licensees, as well as personnel of response organizations, such as police officers, firefighters, medical personnel, and drivers and crews of vehicles used for evacuation.
-
Emergency workers may or may not be designated as such in advance of an emergency. Emergency workers not designated as such in advance of an emergency are not necessarily workers prior to the emergency.
Definition
Member of the public who willingly and voluntarily helps in the response to a nuclear or radiological emergency.
Scope notes
-
Helpers in an emergency are protected and are aware that they could be exposed to radiation while helping in response to a nuclear or radiological emergency.
Definition
An individual who is a recipient of services of health professionals and/or their agents that are directed at (a) promotion of health; (b) prevention of illness and injury; (c) monitoring of health; (d) maintaining health; and (e) medical treatment of diseases, disorders and injuries in order to achieve a cure or, failing that, optimum comfort and function. Some asymptomatic individuals are included.
Scope notes
- For the purpose of the requirements on medical exposure in the IAEA safety standards, the term ‘patient’ refers only to those individuals undergoing radiological procedures.
Definition
2. An application of safety requirements that is commensurate with the characteristics of the facilities and activities or the source and with the magnitude and likelihood of the exposures.
Scope notes
- See also exclusion, exemption, clearance and optimization.
Definition
A category for hazards assessed by means of a hazard assessment to provide the basis for a graded approach to the application of the requirements established in GSR Part 7 (FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, INTERPOL, OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, PREPARATORY COMMISSION FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION, Preparedness and Response for a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 7, IAEA, Vienna (2015).) and for developing generically justified and optimized arrangements for preparedness and response for a nuclear or radiological emergency.
Scope notes
- Table 1 of GSR Part 7 describes the emergency preparedness categories.
Definition
Levels for the projected dose or the dose that has been received at which protective actions and other response actions are to be taken.
Scope notes
- The term generic criteria as defined here relates to emergency preparedness and emergency response only.
Definition
The value of a quantity used in certain specified activities or circumstances that must not be exceeded.
Scope notes
- a. Caution: The term limit should only be used for a criterion that must not be exceeded; for example, where exceeding the limit would cause some form of legal sanction to be invoked.
- b. Caution: Criteria used for other purposes — for example, to indicate a need for closer investigation or a review of procedures, or as a threshold for reporting to a regulatory body — should be described using other terms, such as reference level.
Definition
A set of interrelated or interacting elements (system) for establishing policies and objectives and enabling the objectives to be achieved in an efficient and effective manner.
Scope notes
- a. The component parts of the management system include the organizational structure, resources and organizational processes.
- b. Management is defined (in ISO 9000) [INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION, Quality Management Systems — Fundamentals and Vocabulary, ISO 9000:2015, ISO, Geneva (2015).] as coordinated activities to direct and control an organization.
- c. The management system integrates all elements of an organization into one coherent system to enable all of the organization’s objectives to be achieved. These elements include the organizational structure, resources and processes.
- d. Personnel, equipment and organizational culture as well as the documented policies and processes form parts of the management system.
- e. The organization’s processes have to address the totality of the requirements on the organization as established in, for example, IAEA safety standards and other international codes and standards.
Definition
A deterministic effect that is fatal or life threatening or results in a permanent injury that reduces quality of life.
Definition
3. The probability of a specified health effect occurring in a person or group as a result of exposure to radiation.
Scope notes
- a. The health effect(s) in question must be stated — for example, risk of fatal cancer, risk of serious
- b. Commonly expressed as the product of the probability that exposure will occur and the probability that the exposure, assuming that it occurs, will cause the specified health effect.
- c. The latter probability is sometimes termed the conditional risk.
Definition
A radiation induced health effect, the probability of occurrence of which is greater for a higher radiationdose and the severity of which (if it occurs) is independent of dose.
Scope notes
- Contrasting term: deterministic effect.
-
Stochastic effects may be somatic effects or hereditary effects and generally occur without a threshold level of dose. Examples include solid cancers and leukaemia.
Definition
Adverse psychological, societal or economic consequences of a nuclear or radiological emergency or of an emergency response affecting human life, health, property or the environment.
Scope notes
- The definition relates to emergency preparedness and response only [FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, INTERPOL, OECD NUCLEARENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, PREPARATORY COMMISSION FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TESTBAN TREATY ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION, Preparedness and Response for a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 7, IAEA, Vienna (2015).].
<h2>Definition</h2><p>Assessment of hazards associated with <i>facilities</i>, <i>activities</i> or <i>sources</i> within or beyond the borders of a State in order to identify: <ul> <li>(a) Those <i>events</i> and the associated areas for which <i>protective actions</i> and <i>other emergency response actions</i> may be required within the State;</li> <li>(b) Actions that would be effective in mitigating the consequences of such <i>events</i>.</li></p>
Definition
The integrated set of infrastructural elements necessary to provide the capability for performing a specified function or task required to carry out a specified operation.
Scope notes
- The infrastructural elements may include authorities and responsibilities, organization, coordination, personnel, plans, procedures, facilities, equipment or training.
Definition
The first members of an emergency service to respond at the site of an emergency.
Definition
A series of specified actions conducted in a certain order or manner.
Scope notes
- The set of actions to be taken to conduct an activity or to perform a process is typically specified in a set of instructions.
Definition
The potential for harm or other detriment, especially for radiation risks; a factor or condition that might operate against safety.
Definition
The stage of phase at which arrangements for an effective emergency response are established prior to a nuclear or radiological emergency.
Definition
Within the site area.
Definition
2. Radioactive material used as a source of radiation.
Scope notes
- Such as those sources used for medical applications or in industrial instruments. These are, of course, sources as defined in (1), but this usage in (2) is less general.
Definition
An action to be taken in response to a nuclear or radiological emergency to mitigate the consequences of an emergency for human life and health, property and the environment.
Scope notes
- Also called emergency action.
-
Emergency response actions comprise protective actions and other response actions.
Definition
Any unintended event, including operating errors, equipment failures, initiating events, accident precursors, near misses or other mishaps, or unauthorized act, malicious or non-malicious, the consequences or potential consequences of which are not negligible from the point of view of protection and safety.
Scope notes
- b. Caution: The word incident is sometimes used, in INES 2008 Manual [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INES: The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale User’s Manual, 2008 Edition, IAEA, Vienna (2013).], to describe events that are, in effect, minor accidents, i.e. that are distinguished from accidents only in terms of being less severe.
- c. Caution: This is a distinction with little basis in general usage, in which an incident can be minor or major, just as an accident can; however, unlike an accident, an incident can be caused intentionally.
- d. The definition of incident given was derived on the basis of the entries for accident and event and the explanation of the term incident given in SF-1 [EUROPEAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMUNITY, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, Fundamental Safety Principles, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, IAEA, Vienna (2006).].
- a. See also event and International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
Definition
Assessment of the expected radiological impacts of facilities and activities on the environment for the purposes of protection of the public and protection of the environment against radiation risks.
Definition
Strictly: relating to a nucleus; relating to or using energy released in nuclear fission or fusion. (adjective)
Scope notes
- a. Caution: The adjective ‘nuclear’ is used in many phrases to modify a noun that it cannot logically modify. It must be borne in mind that the meaning of such phrases may be unclear (as opposed to nuclear).
- b. Caution: The phrases may therefore need to be explained, and their usage may be open to misunderstanding, misrepresentation or mistranslation.
- c. Caution: Such phrases include: nuclear accident; nuclear community; nuclear emergency; nuclear facility; nuclear fuel; nuclearincident; nuclear installation; nuclear material; nuclear medicine; (a) nuclear power; nuclear safety; and nuclear security.
Definition
An urgent protective action taken before or shortly after a release of radioactive material, or an exposure, on the basis of the prevailing conditions to avoid or to minimize severe deterministic effects.
Definition
A protective action in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency which must be taken promptly (usually within hours to a day) in order to be effective, and the effectiveness of which will be markedly reduced if it is delayed.
Scope notes
-
Urgent protective actions include iodine thyroid blocking, evacuation, short term sheltering, actions to reduce inadvertent ingestion, decontamination of individuals and prevention of ingestion of food, milk and drinking water possibly with contamination.
- A precautionary urgent protective action is an urgent protective action taken before or shortly after a release of radioactive material, or an exposure, on the basis of the prevailing conditions to avoid or to minimize severe deterministic effects.
Definition
A protective action in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency that can be implemented within days to weeks and can still be effective.
Scope notes
- The most common early protective actions are relocation and longer term restriction of the consumption of food potentially affected by contamination.
Definition
[A nuclear reactor used mainly for the generation and utilization of neutron flux and ionizing radiation for research and other purposes, including experimental facilities associated with the reactor and storage, handling and treatment facilities for radioactive material on the same site that are directly related to safe operation of the research reactor. Facilities commonly known as critical assemblies are included.]
Scope notes
-
Caution: This definition is particular to the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors [Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors, IAEA, Vienna (2006).
].
Definition
2. Absorbed dose, committed equivalent dose, committed effective dose, equivalent dose, effective dose or organ dose, as indicated by the context.
Definition
These include: the production, use, import and export of radiation sources for industrial, research and medical purposes; the transport of radioactive material; the decommissioning of facilities; radioactive waste management activities such as the discharge of effluents; the remediation of sites affected by residues from past activities.
Scope notes
- The term facilities and activities is very general, and includes those for which little or no regulatory control may be necessary or achievable: the more specific terms authorized facility and authorized activity should be used to distinguish those facilities and activities for which any form of authorization has been given.
Definition
A source that could, if not under control, give rise to exposure sufficient to cause severe deterministic effects. This categorization is used for determining the need for emergency arrangements and is not to be confused with categorizations of sources for other purposes.
Scope notes
- The term dangerous source relates to dangerous quantities of radioactive material (D values) as recommended in [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Dangerous Quantities of Radioactive Material (D-values), Emergency Preparedness and Response, EPR-DVALUES 2006, IAEA, Vienna (2006).].
Definition
The corresponding dose rate expressed in millisieverts per hour or microsieverts per hour. (See INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material — 2012 Edition, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-6, IAEA, Vienna (2012).)
Scope notes
-
Caution: This usage was specific to previous edition of the Transport Regulations, and should be avoided.
Definition
The precautionary action zone and the urgent protective action planning zone.
Definition
A description of the objectives, policy and concept of operations for the response to an emergency and of the structure, authorities and responsibilities for a systematic, coordinated and effective response. The emergency plan serves as the basis for the development of other plans, procedures and checklists.
Scope notes
- a. Emergency plans are prepared at several different levels: international, national, regional, local and facility. They may include all activities planned to be carried out by all relevant organizations and authorities, or may be primarily concerned with the actions to be carried out by a particular organization. The term overall emergency plan is sometimes used for clarification when the former meaning is intended.
- b. Details regarding the accomplishment of specific tasks outlined in an emergency plan are contained in emergency procedures.
Definition
The action or process of setting free or being set free, or of allowing or being allowed to move or flow freely.
Scope notes
-
Caution:
Release is used in both a physical ‘scientific’ sense (see discharge (1)) and a ‘regulatory’ sense (see clearance), as well as in the usual sense of, for example, a release of energy.
Definition
Exposure to radiation from a source outside the body.
Scope notes
- Contrasted with internal exposure.
Definition
The state of a nuclear chain reacting medium when the chain reaction is just self-sustaining (or critical), i.e. when the reactivity is zero.
Scope notes
- Often used, slightly more loosely, to refer to states in which the reactivity is greater than zero.
Definition
Postulated accident conditions that are not considered for design basis accidents, but that are considered in the design process of the facility in accordance with best estimate methodology, and for which releases of radioactive material are kept within acceptable limits.
Scope notes
- For nuclear power plants and research reactors, design extension conditions comprise conditions in events without significant fuel degradation and conditions in events with melting of the reactor core.
Definition
A radiation induced health effect for which generally a threshold level of dose exists above which the severity of the effect is greater for a higher dose.
Scope notes
- a. The level of the threshold dose is characteristic of the particular health effect but may also depend, to a limited extent, on the exposed individual.
- b. Examples of deterministic effects include erythema, damage to the haemopoietic system and acute radiation syndrome (radiation sickness).
- c. Deterministic effects are also referred to as (harmful) tissue reactions.
- d. The term non-stochastic effect is used in some older publications, but is now superseded.
- e. Contrasting term: stochastic effect.
Definition
1. The process and the result of developing a concept, detailed plans, supporting calculations and specifications for a facility and its parts.
Scope notes
- The terms siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning are normally used to delineate the six major stages of the lifetime of an authorized facility and of the associated licensing process. In the special case of disposal facilities for radioactive waste, decommissioning is replaced in this sequence by closure.
Definition
Any process on a volcano or at a volcanic vent that involves the explosive ejection of fragmental material, the effusion of molten lava, the sudden release of large quantities of volcanic gases (e.g. CO2) or a process by which buried regions of the volcanic systems from various depths, such as the hydrothermal system, are brought to the surface during the collapse of edifices.
Scope notes
-
volcanic eruptions are magmatic if newly solidified magma is present in the eruptive products and non-magmatic (phreatic) if they involve only recycled rock fragments. volcanic eruptions can occur over widely varying timescales (seconds to years).
Definition
This term covers two sub-terms:
cargo aircraft. Any aircraft, other than a passenger aircraft, that is carrying goods or property. (From INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material — 2018 Edition, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-6 (Rev. 1), IAEA, Vienna (2018).)
passenger aircraft. An aircraft that carries any person other than a crew member, a carrier’s employee in an official capacity, an authorized representative of an appropriate national authority, or a person accompanying a consignment or other cargo. (From INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material — 2018 Edition, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-6 (Rev. 1), IAEA, Vienna (2018).)
Definition
aleatory uncertainty. Uncertainty inherent in a phenomenon.
epistemic uncertainty. Uncertainty attributable to incomplete knowledge about a phenomenon, which affects the ability to model it.
Definition
This term encompasses sub-terms such as depleted uranium, enriched uranium, high enriched uranium, low enriched uranium and natural uranium
Definition
Fissionable nuclear material in the form of fabricated elements for loading into the reactor core of a civil nuclear power plant or research reactor.
<h2>Definition</h2><p>A measure of the relative effectiveness of different <i>radiation</i> types at inducing a specified <i>health effect</i>, expressed as the inverse ratio of the <i>absorbed doses</i> of two different <i>radiation</i> types that would produce the same degree of a defined biological <i>end point</i>.</p><h2>Scope notes</h2><ul><li>Values of <i>relative biological effectiveness</i> in causing the development of <i>deterministic effects</i> are selected to be representative of the <i>severe deterministic effects</i> that are significant to <i>emergency preparedness</i> and response. The tissue or organ specific and radiation type specific values of RBET,R for the development of selected <i>severe deterministic effects</i> are as shown in the table
<img src="https://nucleus.iaea.org/sites/nss-oui/Figures/i_9c3078a2-6c03-4bf8-8dc6-b09d4b8f481d.JPG" style="width: 480px;">
</li></ul>
Definition
The fundamental dosimetric quantity D, defined as:
D = d`e / dm
where d
`e is the mean energy imparted by
ionizing radiation to matter in a volume element and dm is the mass of matter in the volume element.
Scope notes
- a. The energy can be averaged over any defined volume, the average dose being equal to the total energy imparted in the volume divided by the mass in the volume.
- b. Absorbed dose is defined at a point; for the average dose in a tissue or organ, see organ dose.
- c. The SI unit for absorbed dose is joule per kilogram (J/kg), termed the gray (Gy) (formerly, the rad was used).
Definition
The quantity HT,R, defined as:
HT,R = wR . DT,R
where
DT,R is the
absorbed dose delivered by
radiation type R averaged over a tissue or organ T and
wR is the
radiation weighting factor for
radiation type R. When the
radiation field is composed of different
radiation types with different values of
wR, the
equivalent dose is:
HT = SRwR . DT,R
Scope notes
- a. The SI unit for equivalent dose is joule per kilogram (J/kg), termed the Sievert (Sv). An explanation of the quantity is given in annex B to [INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION, The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, Publication 103, Ann. ICRP 37 2–4, Elsevier Science, Oxford (2007).].
- b. The rem, equal to 0.01 Sv, is sometimes used as a unit of equivalent dose and effective dose. This should not be used in IAEA publications, except when quoting directly from other publications, in which case the value in sieverts should be added in parentheses.
- c. Equivalent dose is a measure of the dose to a tissue or organ designed to reflect the amount of harm caused.
- d. Equivalent dose cannot be used to quantify higher doses or to make decisions on the need for any medical treatment relating to deterministic effects.
- e. Values of equivalent dose to a specified tissue or organ from any type(s) of radiation can be compared directly.
Definition
The total harm that would eventually be incurred by a group that is subject to exposure and by its descendants as a result of the group’s exposure to radiation from a source.
Scope notes
- In its Publication 60 [INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION, 1990 Recommendations of the ICRP, Publication 60, Pergamon Press, Oxford and New York (1991).], the International Commission on Radiological Protection defines a measure of radiation detriment that has the dimensions of probability, and that could therefore also be considered a measure of risk.
Definition
The quantity E, defined as a summation of the tissue or organ equivalent doses, each multiplied by the appropriate tissue weighting factor:
E = STwT . HT
where
HT is the
equivalent dose in tissue or organ T and
wT is the
tissue weighting factor for tissue or organ T.
From the definition of equivalent dose, it follows that:
E = STwT . SRwR . DT,R
where
wR is the
radiation weighting factor for
radiation type R and
DT,R is the average
absorbed dose in the tissue or organ T delivered by
radiation type R.
Scope notes
- b. The rem, equal to 0.01 Sv, is sometimes used as a unit of equivalent dose and effective dose. This should not be used in IAEA publications, except when quoting directly from other publications, in which case the value in sieverts should be added in parentheses.
- c. Effective dose is a measure of dose designed to reflect the amount of radiation detriment likely to result from the dose.
- d. Effective dose cannot be used to quantify higher doses or to make decisions on the need for any medical treatment relating to deterministic effects.
- e. Values of effective dose from exposure for any type(s) of radiation and any mode(s) of exposure can be compared directly.
- a. The SI unit for effective dose is joule per kilogram (J/kg), termed the sievert (Sv). An explanation of the quantity is given in annex B to [INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION, The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, Publication 103, Ann. ICRP 37 2–4, Elsevier Science, Oxford (2007).].
Definition
For an emergency exposure situation or an existing exposure situation, the level of dose, risk or activity concentration above which it is not appropriate to plan to allow exposures to occur and below which optimization of protection and safety would continue to be implemented.
Scope notes
- The value chosen for a reference level will depend upon the prevailing circumstances for the exposure under consideration.
Definition
The dose expected to be incurred after protective actions have been terminated (or after a decision has been taken not to take protective actions).
Scope notes
-
Residual dose applies for an emergency exposure situation or for an existing exposure situation.
Definition
A route by which radiation or radionuclides can reach humans and cause exposure.
Scope notes
- An exposure pathway may be very simple, for example the external exposurepathway from airborne radionuclides, or a more complex chain, for example the internal exposurepathway from drinking milk from cows that ate grass contaminated with deposited radionuclides.
Definition
This term encompasses sub-terms such as absorbed dose, committed effective dose, committed equivalent dose, equivalent dose and organ dose.
<h2>Definition</h2><p>The mean <i>absorbed dose</i> <I>D</I><sub>T</sub> in a specified tissue or organ T of the human body, given by:<pre> <img src="https://vocabulary.iaea.org/https://nucleus.iaea.org/sites/nss-oui/Figures/i_1365b73f-103e-4acd-8243-7d4aa013ed64.JPG" style="width: 240px;">
</pre>where <I>m</I><sub>T</sub> is the mass of the tissue or organ, <I>D</I> is the <i>absorbed dose</i> in the mass element d<I>m</I> and ε<sub>T</sub> is the total energy imparted.</p><h2>Scope notes</h2><ul><li>Sometimes called tissue <i>dose</i>.</li></ul>
Definition
The dose that would be expected to be received if planned protective actions were not taken.
Definition
The quantity ADT,R, defined as:
ADT,R = DT,R×RBET,R
where D
T,R is the
absorbed dose delivered by
radiation of type R averaged over a tissue or organ T and RBE
T,R is the
relative biological effectiveness for
radiation of type R in the production of
severe deterministic effects in a tissue or organ T. When the
radiation field is composed of different
radiation types with different values of RBE
T,R the RBE weighted absorbed dose is given by:
ADT = SR DT,R×RBET,R
Scope notes
- a. The unit of RBE weighted absorbed dose is the gray (Gy), equal to 1 J/kg.
- b. RBE weighted absorbed dose is a measure of the dose to a tissue or organ, intended to reflect the risk of development of severe deterministic effects.
- c. Values of RBE weighted absorbed dose to a specified tissue or organ from any type(s) of radiation can be compared directly.
Definition
1. The process of determining what level of protection and safety would result in the magnitude of individual doses, the number of individuals (workers and members of the public) subject to exposure and the likelihood of exposure being as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social factors being taken into account (ALARA).
Definition
Values of measurable quantities or observable conditions (i.e. observables) to be used in the response to a nuclear or radiological emergency in order to determine the need for appropriate protective actions and other response actions.
Scope notes
-
Operational criteria used in an emergency include operational intervention levels (OILs), emergency action levels (EALs), specific observable conditions (i.e. observables) and other indicators of conditions on the site.
-
Operational criteria are sometimes referred to as triggers.
Definition
A specific, predetermined criterion for observable conditions used to detect, recognize and determine the emergency class.
Scope notes
- An emergency action level could represent an instrument reading, the status of a piece of equipment or any observable event, such as a fire.
Definition
A set level of a measurable quantity that corresponds to a generic criterion.
Scope notes
- b. An operational intervention level is used immediately and directly (without further assessment) to determine the appropriate protective actions on the basis of an environmental measurement.
- a. Operational intervention levels are typically expressed in terms of dose rates or of activity of radioactive material released, time integrated air activity concentrations, ground or surface concentrations, or activity concentrations of radionuclides in environmental, food or water samples.
Definition
An individual receiving a dose that is representative of the doses to the more highly exposed individuals in the population.
Scope notes
- See also member of the public.
- a. The representative person will generally be a hypothetical construct and not an actual member of the population. The concept is used to determine compliance or in prospective assessments.
- b. In estimating the dose to the representative person, a number of factors are taken into account for the population exposed: (i) all relevant exposure pathways for the source and all locations under consideration; (ii) the spatial distribution of radionuclides in the environment, to ensure that individuals with higher exposures are included; (iii) age dependent physiological parameters and information on diet, habits, residence and use of local resources; (iv) dosimetric models and appropriate dose coefficients.
- c. Application of the concept of a representative person to potential exposures, such as those that may occur in the future as a result of radioactive wastedisposal, is complicated by the facts that both the dose (if it occurs) and the probability of receiving the dose are relevant, and that these two parameters are essentially independent of one another.
- d. Hence, a population can be homogeneous with respect to dose but not risk, and, more importantly, vice versa.
- e. A possible approach is to define a representative person that is reasonably representative with respect to risk, and that is typical of those people who might be subject to the highest risk.
- f. ICRP Publication 101 [INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION, Assessing Dose of the Representative Person for the Purpose of Radiation Protection of the Public and the Optimisation of Radiological Protection: Broadening the Process, ICRP Publication 101, Ann. ICRP 36 3, Elsevier Science, Oxford (2006).] indicates that the dose to the representative person “is the equivalent of, and replaces, the mean dose in the ‘critical group’”, and provides guidance on assessing doses to the representative person. The concept of critical group remains valid.
Definition
In dosimetry (e.g. in tables of dose per unit intake values), a child is often assumed to be a 10 year old. If such an assumption is made, it should be clearly stated.
Definition
The non-urgent removal or extended exclusion of people from an area to avoid long term exposure from deposited radioactive material.
Scope notes
-
Relocation is an early protective action. It may be a substitution for the urgent protective action of evacuation.
-
Relocation is considered to be permanent relocation if return is not foreseeable; otherwise it is temporary relocation.
Definition
A person, company, etc., with a concern or interest in the activities and performance of an organization, business, system, etc.
Scope notes
- a. The term interested party is used in a broad sense to mean a person or group having an interest in the performance of an organization.
- b. Those who can influence events may effectively become interested parties — whether their ‘interest’ is regarded as ‘genuine’ or not — in the sense that their views need to be considered.
- c. Interested parties would need to be specified as relevant.
- e. Caution: The term [stakeholder] is used in the same broad sense as interested party and the same provisos are necessary.
- f. Caution: The term [stakeholder] has disputed usage, and it is misleading and too all-encompassing for clear use. In view of the potential for misunderstanding and misrepresentation, use of the term is discouraged in favour of interested party.
- g. The Handbook on Nuclear Law [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Handbook on Nuclear Law, IAEA, Vienna (2003).] states that: “Owing to the differing views on who has a genuine interest in a particular nuclear related activity, no authoritative definition of [stakeholder] has yet been offered, and no definition is likely to be accepted by all parties.”
- d. Interested parties have typically included the following: customers, owners, operators, employees, suppliers, partners and trade unions; the regulated industry or professionals; scientific bodies; governmental agencies or regulatory bodies (national, regional and local) whose responsibilities may cover nuclear energy; the media; the public (individuals, community groups and interest groups); and other States, especially neighbouring States that have entered into agreements providing for an exchange of information concerning possible transboundary impacts, or States involved in the export or import of certain technologies or materials. [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Handbook on Nuclear Law, IAEA, Vienna (2003).]
Definition
Operation within specified operational limits and conditions.
Scope notes
- For a nuclear power plant, this includes startup, power operation, shutting down, shutdown, maintenance, testing and refuelling.
Definition
Immediate action by the operator or other party:
- (1) To reduce the potential for conditions to develop that would result in exposure or a release of radioactive material requiring emergency response actions on the site or off the site; or
- (2) To mitigate source conditions that may result in exposure or a release of radioactive material requiring emergency response actions on the site or off the site
Definition
An event that has potential or actual implications for nuclear security that must be addressed.
Scope notes
- c. A nuclear security event, for example, sabotage of a nuclear facility or detonation of a radiological dispersal device, may give rise to a nuclear or radiological emergency.
- b. Such events include criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving or directed at nuclear material, other radioactive material, associated facilities or associated activities.
- a. In the context of authorized facilities and authorized activities, the following definition has also been established in some publication of the Nuclear Security Series: “An event that is assessed as having implications for nuclear security” [Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, INFCIRC/225/Revision 5, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011), Nuclear Security Recommendations on Radioactive Material and Associated Facilities, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 14, IAEA, Vienna (2011)]
Definition
3. A set of actions taken upon detection of emergency conditions with the purpose of alerting all organizations with responsibility for emergency response in the event of such conditions.
Definition
The extended planning distance and the ingestion and commodities planning distance.
Definition
A designated organization with which arrangements have been made to receive notification (meaning (3)) and to initiate promptly the predetermined actions to activate a part of the emergency response.
Definition
A set of conditions that warrant a similar immediate emergency response.
Scope notes
- a. This is the term used for communicating to the response organizations and to the public the level of response needed. The events that belong to a given emergency class are defined by criteria specific to the installation, source or activities, which, if exceeded, indicate classification at the prescribed level. For each emergency class, the initial actions of the response organizations are predefined.
- b. IAEA safety standards specify five emergency classes, namely general emergency, site area emergency, facility emergency, alert and other nuclear or radiological emergency [FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION, INTERPOL, OECD NUCLEARENERGY AGENCY, PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, PREPARATORY COMMISSION FOR THE COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR-TESTBAN TREATY ORGANIZATION, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION, Preparedness and Response for a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 7, IAEA, Vienna (2015).]
(a) general emergency. At facilities in emergency preparedness category I or II, an emergency that warrants taking precautionary urgent protective actions, urgent protective actions and early protective actions and other response actions on the site and off the site.
(b) site area emergency. At facilities in emergency preparedness category I or II, an emergency that warrants taking protective actions and other response actions on the site and in the vicinity of the site.
(c) facility emergency. At facilities in emergency preparedness category I, II or III, an emergency that warrants taking protective actions and other response actions at the facility and on the site but does not warrant taking protective actions off the site.
(d) alert. At facilities in emergency preparedness category I, II or III, an event that warrants taking actions to assess and to mitigate the potential consequences at the facility.
(e) other nuclear or radiological emergency. An emergency in emergency preparedness category IV that warrants taking protective actions and other response actions at any location.
Definition
At facilities in emergency preparedness category I or II, an emergency that warrants taking precautionary urgent protective actions, urgent protective actions and early protective actions and other response actions on the site and off the site.
Scope notes
- When a general emergency is declared, appropriate actions are promptly taken, on the basis of the available information relating to the emergency, to mitigate the consequences of the emergency on the site and to protect people on the site and off the site.
Definition
At facilities in emergency preparedness category I or II, an emergency that warrants taking protective actions and other emergency response actions on the site and in the vicinity of the site.
Scope notes
- When a site area emergency is declared, actions are promptly taken: (i) to mitigate the consequences of the emergency on the site and to protect people on the site; (ii) to increase the readiness to take protective actions and other response actions off the site if this becomes necessary on the basis of observable conditions, reliable assessments and/or results of monitoring; and (iii) to conduct off-site monitoring, sampling and analysis.
Definition
1. The measurement of dose, dose rate or activity for reasons relating to the assessment or control of exposure to radiation or exposure due to radioactive substances, and the interpretation of the results.
Scope notes
- a. ‘Measurement’ is used somewhat loosely. The ‘measurement’ of dose often means the measurement of a dose equivalent quantity as a proxy (i.e. substitute) for a dose quantity that cannot be measured directly. Also, sampling may be involved as a preliminary step to measurement.
- d. Monitoring may be subdivided in two different ways: according to where the measurements are made, into individual monitoring, workplace monitoring, source monitoring and environmental monitoring; and, according to the purpose of the monitoring, into routine monitoring, task related monitoring and special monitoring.
- b. Measurements may actually be of radiation levels, airborne activity concentrations, levels of contamination, quantities of radioactive material or individual doses.
- c. The results of these measurements may be used to assess radiological hazards or doses resulting or potentially resulting from exposure.
Definition
At facilities in emergency preparedness category I, II or III, an emergency that warrants taking protective actions and other
response actions at the facility and on the site but does not warrant taking protective actions off the site.
Scope notes
- When a facility emergency is declared, actions are promptly taken to mitigate the consequences of the emergency and to protect people.
Definition
At facilities in emergency preparedness category I, II or III, an event that warrants taking actions to assess and to mitigate the potential consequences at the facility.
Scope notes
- When an alert is declared, actions are promptly taken to assess and to mitigate the potential consequences of the event and to increase the readiness of the on-site response organizations.
Definition
An emergency in emergency preparedness category IV that warrants taking protective actions and other response actions at any location.
Scope notes
- When such an emergency is declared, actions are promptly taken to mitigate the consequences of the emergency on the site; to protect those in the vicinity (e.g. workers and emergency workers and the public) and to determine where and for whom protective actions and other response actions are warranted.
Definition
The process whereby an authorized official classifies an emergency in order to declare the applicable emergency class.
Scope notes
- Upon declaration of the emergency class, the response organizations initiate the predefined emergency response actions for that emergency class.
Definition
The INES is a scale developed for use by States for the purpose of communicating with the public on the safety significance of events associated with sources of radiation.
Scope notes
- a. Caution: The INES should not be confused with emergency classification system, and should not be used as a basis for emergency response actions.
- b. Caution: In the 2008 INES Manual [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, INES: The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale User’s Manual, 2008 Edition, IAEA, Vienna (2013).], there was a fundamental mismatch between the terminology and usage in safety standards and the designations used in INES.
- c. Caution: The INES 2008 terminology — in particular the use of the terms incident and accident — was different from that in safety standards and from the usual English meanings of the words, and great care should be taken to avoid confusion between the two areas.
- e. This was not a serious day to day problem because the two areas are quite separate and have quite different purposes. However, it was a potential cause of confusion in communication with the news media and the public.
- f. See the information notes associated with the terms event, incident and accident for further information.
- d. Caution: In short, events that would be considered accidents according to the safety standards definition may be accidents or incidents (i.e. not accidents) in INES 2008 terminology.
Definition
A nuclear or radiological emergency of actual, potential or perceived radiological significance for more than one State.
Scope notes
- This may include:
- (1) A significant transboundary release of radioactive material (however, a transnational emergency does not necessarily imply a significant transboundary release of radioactive material);
- (2) A general emergency at a facility or other event that could result in a significant transboundary release (atmospheric or aquatic) of radioactive material;
- (3) Discovery of the loss or illicit removal of a dangerous source that has been transported across, or is suspected of having been transported across, a national border;
- (4) An emergency resulting in significant disruption to international trade or travel;
- (5) An emergency warranting the taking of protective actions for foreign nationals or embassies in the State in which it occurs;
- (6) An emergency resulting or potentially resulting in severe deterministic effects and involving a fault and/or problem (such as in equipment or software) that could have serious implications for safety internationally;
- (7) An emergency resulting in or potentially resulting in great concern among the population of more than one State owing to the actual or perceived radiological hazard.
Definition
The State that is responsible for notifying (see notification (2)) potentially affected States and the IAEA of an event of actual, potential or perceived radiological significance for other States.
Scope notes
- This includes:
(a) The State Party that has jurisdiction or control over the facility or activity (including space objects) in accordance with Article 1 of the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident [Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, INFCIRC/335, IAEA, Vienna (1986).]; or
(b) The State that initially detects, or discovers evidence of a transnational emergency, for example by: detecting significant increases in atmospheric radiation levels of unknown origin; detecting contamination in transboundary shipments; discovering a dangerous source that may have originated in another State; or diagnosing clinical symptoms that may have resulted from exposure outside the State.
Definition
2. A report submitted promptly to a national or international authority providing details of an emergency or a possible emergency; for example, as required by the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident [Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, INFCIRC/335, IAEA, Vienna (1986).].
Definition
A designated organization to act as a point of contact that is staffed or able to be alerted at all times for promptly responding to, or initiating a response to, an incoming notification (definition (2)), warning message, request for assistance or request for verification of a message, as appropriate, from the IAEA.
Definition
1. Planned and controlled release of (usually gaseous or liquid) radioactive substances to the environment.
Scope notes
- Strictly, the act or process of releasing the radioactive substances, but also used to describe the radioactive substances released.
Definition
The local off-siteresponse organizations that are generally available and that perform emergency response functions. These may include police, firefighters and rescue brigades, ambulance services, and control teams for hazardous materials.
Scope notes
- These may include police, firefighters and rescue brigades, ambulance services and control teams for hazardous materials.
Definition
The taking of a set of actions during the evolution of an accident:
- (a) To prevent the escalation to a severe accident;
- (b) To mitigate the consequences of a severe accident;
- (c) To achieve a long term safe stable state
Scope notes
- b. By extension, accident management for a severe accident includes the taking of a set of actions during the evolution of the accident to mitigate degradation of the reactor core.
- a. Aspect (b) of accident management (to mitigate the consequences of a severe accident) is also termed severe accident management.
Definition
The application by a regulatory body of sanctions against an operator, intended to correct and, as appropriate, penalize non-compliance with conditions of an authorization.
Definition
2. Designated in national law or by a regulatory body as being subject to regulatory control because of its radioactivity. (adjective)
Scope notes
-
Caution: This is the ‘regulatory’ definition, and should not be confused with the ‘scientific’ definition (1).
Definition
Prospectively considered Exposure considered, that is not expected to be incurred with certainty but that may potentially result from an anticipated operational occurrence or accident at a source or owing to an event or sequence of events of a probabilistic nature, including equipment failures and operating errors.
Scope notes
- b. Potential exposure is considered within planned exposure situation.
- a. Caution: Potential exposure is not an exposure and is not a type of exposure.
- d. In the case of a geological disposal facility, assessment of the long term action of processes and events that are uncertain leads to projections of long term potential exposure.
- c. Potential exposure includes prospectively considered (i.e. hypothetical or postulated) exposures due to a source in an event or sequence of events of a probabilistic nature, including exposures resulting from an accident, equipment failures, operating errors, natural events or phenomena (such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods) and inadvertent human intrusion (such as a human intrusion into a near surface disposal facility after institutional control is removed).
Definition
A general term encompassing all of the elements (items) of a facility or activity that contribute to protection and safety, except human factors.
Scope notes
- Human factors may be reflected in structures, systems and components in so far as ergonomics — the study of people’s efficiency in their work setting — is an element in their design.
Definition
Any substance, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, that is intended for human consumption.
Scope notes
- This includes foodstuffs and drink (other than fresh water), chewing gum and substances used in the preparation or processing of food; it does not include cosmetics, tobacco or drugs. Consumption in this context refers to ingestion.
Definition
An area around a facility for which emergency arrangements have been made to take urgent protective actions in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency to avoid or to minimize severe deterministic effects off the site. Protective actions within this area are to be taken before or shortly after a release of radioactive material or an exposure, on the basis of prevailing conditions at the facility.
Definition
1. Exhibiting radioactivity; emitting or relating to the emission of ionizing radiation or particles. (adjective)
Scope notes
-
Caution: This is the ‘scientific’ definition, and should not be confused with the ‘regulatory’ definition (2).
Definition
An area around a facility for which arrangements have been made to take urgent protective actions in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency to avert doses off the site in accordance with international safety standards. Protective actions within this area are to be taken on the basis of environmental monitoring — or, as appropriate, prevailing conditions at the facility.
Definition
Distance around a facility within which emergency arrangements are made to conduct monitoring following the declaration of a general emergency to conduct monitoring and to identify areas warranting emergency response actions to be taken off the site within a period following a significant radioactive release that would allow the risk of stochastic effects among members of the public to be effectively reduced.
Scope notes
- a. The area within the extended planning distance serves for planning purposes and may not be the actual area in which monitoring is to be conducted to identify areas where early protective actions such as relocation are necessary.
- b. While efforts need to be made at the preparedness stage to prepare for taking effective early protective actions within this area, the actual area will be determined by the prevailing conditions in an emergency.
- c. As a precaution, some urgent actions may be warranted within the extended planning distance to reduce the risk of stochastic effects among members of the public.
Definition
The area around a facility for which emergency arrangements are made to take effective emergency response actions following the declaration of a general emergency in order to reduce the risk of stochastic effects among members of the public and to mitigate non-radiological consequences as a result of the distribution, sale and consumption of food, milk and drinking water and the use of commodities other than food that may have contamination from a significant radioactiverelease.
Scope notes
- a. The area within the ingestion and commodities planning distance serves for planning purposes to prepare for emergency response actions to monitor and control commodities, including food, either for domestic use or international trade.
- b. The actual area will be determined on the basis of the prevailing conditions in an emergency.
- c. As a precaution, some urgent protective actions may be warranted within the ingestion and commodities planning distance to prevent the ingestion of food, milk or drinking water and to prevent the use of commodities that may have contamination following a significant radioactiverelease.
Definition
Those members of the public who are residing for a short period of time (days to weeks) in a location (such as a camping site) that can be identified in advance.
Scope notes
- This does not include members of the public who may be travelling through an area.
Definition
Members of the public for whom special arrangements are necessary in order for effective protective actions to be taken in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency. Examples include disabled persons, hospital patients and prisoners.
Definition
The rapid, temporary removal of people from an area to avoid or reduce short term radiation exposure in a nuclear or radiological emergency.
Scope notes
- See also relocation.
-
Evacuation is an urgent protective action. It is expected to be in place for a short period of time (e.g. a day to a few weeks). If evacuation cannot be lifted within this short period of time, it should be substituted by relocation.
-
Evacuation may be taken as a performed as a precautionary urgent protective action based on observable conditions or plant conditions.
Definition
The complete or partial removal of contamination by a deliberate physical, chemical or biological process.
Scope notes
- This definition is intended to include a wide range of processes for removing contamination from people, equipment and buildings, but to exclude the removal of radionuclides from within the human body or the removal of radionuclides by natural weathering or migration processes, which are not considered to be decontamination. See also remediation.
Definition
An area established by first responders in an emergency around a potential radiation hazard, within which protective actions and other emergency response actions are taken to protect first responders and the public from possible exposure and contamination.
Definition
A facility for which predetermined facility specific actions need to be taken if urgent protective actions are ordered in its locality in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency.
Scope notes
- Examples include chemical plants that cannot be evacuated until certain actions have been taken to prevent fire or explosions and telecommunications centres that must be staffed in order to maintain telephone services.
- This is not necessarily a facility within the meaning of the term facilities and activities.
Definition
1. The period during which an authorized facility is used for its intended purpose, until decommissioning or closure.
Scope notes
- The synonyms operating period and operational period are also used.
Definition
Medical supervision intended to ensure the initial and continuing fitness of workers for their intended tasks.
Definition
The administration of a compound of stable iodine (usually potassium iodide) to prevent or reduce the uptake of radioactive isotopes of iodine by the thyroid in a nuclear or radiological emergency, involving radioactive iodine.
Scope notes
-
Iodine thyroid blocking is an urgent protective action.
- The term "stable iodine prophylaxis", ‘thyroid blocking’ or "iodine blockade" is sometimes used to describe the same concept, but iodine thyroid blocking is prefered in IAEA publications.
Definition
Exposure of workers incurred in the course of their work.
Definition
A situation of exposure that arises from the planned operation of a source or from a planned activity that results in an exposure due to a source.
Scope notes
- Since provision for protection and safety can be made before embarking on the activity concerned, associated exposures and their probabilities of occurrence can be restricted from the outset.
- The primary means of controlling exposure in planned exposure situations is by good design of installations, equipment and operating procedures. In planned exposure situations, a certain level of exposure is expected to occur.
Definition
The total radiation dose incurred by a population.
Scope notes
- a. This is the sum of all of the individual doses to members of the population. If the doses continue for longer than a year, then the annual individual doses must also be integrated over time.
- b. Unless otherwise specified, the time over which the dose is integrated is infinite; if a finite upper limit is applied to the time integration, the collective dose is described as ‘truncated’ at that time.
- c. Although the upper limit for the integral for collective dose could in principle be infinite, in most assessments of collective dose the component part associated with individual doses or dose rates that are higher than the thresholds for the induction of deterministic effects would be considered separately.
- d. Unless otherwise specified, the relevant dose is normally the effective dose (collective effective dose has a formal definition).
- e. Unit: person-sievert (person Sv). This is, strictly, just a sievert, but the unit person-sievert is used to distinguish the collective dose from the individual dose which a dosimeter would measure (just as, for example, ‘person-hours’ are used to measure the total effort devoted to a task, as opposed to the elapsed time that would be shown by a clock).
- f. Contrasting term: individual dose.
Definition
The dose incurred by an individual.
Scope notes
- Contrasting term: collective dose.
Definition
A type of analysis aimed at eliminating from further consideration factors that are less significant for protection or safety in order to concentrate on the more significant factors.
Scope notes
- a. This is typically achieved by consideration of very pessimistic hypothetical scenarios.
- b. Screening is usually conducted at an early stage in order to narrow the range of factors needing detailed consideration in an analysis or assessment.
Definition
This term encompasses several sub-terms such as deterministic effect, stochastic effect, somatic effect, hereditary effect, late effect
Definition
An identified event that leads to anticipated operational occurrences or accident conditions.
Scope notes
- a. This term (often shortened to initiator) is used in relation to event reporting and analysis, i.e. when such events have occurred.
- b. For the consideration of hypothetical events at the design stage, the term postulated initiating event is used.
Definition
The non-urgent removal or extended exclusion of people from an area to avoid long term exposure from deposited radioactive material.
Scope notes
-
Relocation is an early protective action. It may be a substitution for the urgent protective action of evacuation.
-
Relocation is considered to be permanent relocation if return is not foreseeable; otherwise it is temporary relocation.
Definition
1. The process, and the result, of analysing systematically and evaluating the hazards associated with sources and practices, and associated protection and safety measures.
Scope notes
-
Assessment is often aimed at quantifying performance measures for comparison with criteria.
- In IAEA publications, assessment should be distinguished from analysis. Assessment is aimed at providing information that forms the basis of a decision on whether or not something is satisfactory. Various kinds of analysis may be used as tools in doing this. Hence an assessment may include a number of analyses.
Definition
Any single material or multiple materials, whether processed, semi-processed or raw, that is or are intended to be fed directly to food producing animals.
Definition
Assessment of the dose(s) to an individual or group of people.
Scope notes
- For example, assessment of the dose received or committed by an individual on the basis of results from workplace monitoring or bioassay.
- The term exposure assessment is also sometimes used
Definition
1. For legal and regulatory purposes, waste that contains, or is contaminated with, radionuclides at activity concentrations greater than clearance levels as established by the regulatory body.
Scope notes
- a. In effect, radioactive material in gaseous, liquid or solid form for which no further use is foreseen.
- b. Caution: It should be recognized that this definition is purely for regulatory purposes, and that material with activity concentrations equal to or less than clearance levels is radioactive from a physical viewpoint, although the associated radiological hazards are considered negligible. See radioactive, radioactive material, radioactive substance.
- c. Waste should be used in the singular unless reference is expressly being made to the presence of various types of waste.
Definition
Material for which no further use is foreseen.
Definition
2. A set of interrelated or interacting activities that transforms inputs into outputs.
Scope notes
- A product is the result or output of a process.
Definition
The holding of radioactive sources, radioactive material, spent fuel or radioactive waste in a facility that provides for their/its containment, with the intention of retrieval.
Scope notes
- a. Generalized from the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management [Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, INFCIRC/546, IAEA, Vienna (1997).], the Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources [Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, IAEA, Vienna (2004).] and [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 5, IAEA, Vienna (2009).].
- b. Caution: Storage is by definition an interim measure, and the term interim storage would therefore be appropriate only to refer to short term temporary storage when contrasting this with the longer term fate of the waste.
- c. Caution: Storage as defined above should not be described as interim storage.
- d. Caution: In many cases, the only element of this definition that is important is the distinction between disposal (with no intent to retrieve) and storage (with intent to retrieve).
- f. For storage in a combined storage and disposal facility, for which a decision may be made at the time of its closure whether to remove the waste stored during the operation of the storage facility or to dispose of it by encasing it in concrete, the question of intention of retrieval may be left open until the time of closure of the facility.
- g. Contrasted with disposal.
- e. In such cases, a definition is not necessary; the distinction can be made in the form of a footnote at the first use of the term disposal or storage (e.g. “Use of the term disposal indicates that there is no intention to retrieve the waste. If retrieval of the waste at any time in the future is intended, the term storage is used.”).
Definition
3. A predetermined criterion defining the point at which a specific task or process will be considered completed.
Scope notes
- b. In such a context, this criterion may also be an end point in the sense of definition (2), i.e. A radiological or other measure of protection or safety that is the calculated result of an analysis or assessment. — such criteria are often calculated on the basis of a level of dose or risk that is considered acceptable — but its application to the actual decontamination or remediation operations is in the sense of definition (3).
- a. This usage often occurs in contexts such as decontamination or remediation, where the end point is typically the level of contamination beyond which further decontamination or remediation is considered unnecessary. One or more end point criteria are generally established for each remedial action or group of related remedial actions to verify their completion in accordance with the remediation plan.
Definition
1. Removal of regulatory control by the regulatory body from radioactive material or radioactive objects within notified or authorized facilities and activities.
Scope notes
- a. Removal from regulatory control in this context refers to regulatory control applied for radiation protection purposes.
- b. Conceptually, clearance — freeing certain materials or objects in authorized facilities and activities from further control — is closely linked to, but distinct from and not to be confused with, exemption — determining that controls do not need to be applied to certain sources and facilities and activities.
- c. Various terms (e.g. ‘free release’) are used in different States to describe this concept.
- d. A number of issues relating to the concept of clearance and its relationship to other concepts were resolved in [INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Application of the Concepts of Exclusion, Exemption and Clearance, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. RS-G-1.7, IAEA, Vienna (2004).].
Definition
Discharge in accordance with an authorization.
Definition
The use of an item again after it has been used before.
Scope notes
-
Reuse includes conventional reuse, in which an item is used again to perform the same functions, and reuse in which an item is used again to perform a different function.
Definition
The process of converting waste materials into new products.
Scope notes
- a. Recycling reduces the wastage of useful materials, the use of raw materials and energy use.
- b. Recycling contributes to reducing air pollution (caused by incineration) and reducing water pollution (caused by use of landfill sites) by reducing the need for disposal of conventional waste, and also contributes to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.
Definition
3. The act or process of getting rid of waste, without the intention of retrieval.
Scope notes
- The terms deep sea disposal and seabed disposal do not strictly satisfy definitions (1) or (2), but are consistent with the everyday meaning of disposal and are used as such.
Definition
Monitoring using measurements by equipment worn by individuals, or measurements of quantities of radioactive substances in or on or taken into the bodies of individuals, or measurements of quantities of radioactive substances excreted from the body by individuals.
Scope notes
- Also called personal monitoring.
- For workers, usually contrasted with workplace monitoring.
- It includes, for example, measurements of quantities of radioactive substances taken into the body made using breathing zone air samplers.
Definition
The measurement of external dose rates due to sources in the environment or of radionuclide concentrations in environmental media.
Scope notes
- Contrasted with source monitoring.
Definition
The fundamental cause of an initiating event, correction of which will prevent recurrence of the initiating event (i.e. the root cause is the failure to detect and correct the relevant latent weakness(es) and the reasons for that failure).
Scope notes
- Corrective actions designed to address root causes are sometimes termed remedies.
Definition
2. [The prevention and detection of, and response to, theft, sabotage, unauthorized access, illegal transfer or other malicious acts involving nuclear material, other radioactive material or their associated facilities.]
Scope notes
- This definition is taken from the second Nuclear Security Plan (IAEA GOV/2005/50).
Definition
2. The organization (and its contractors) which undertakes the siting, design, construction, commissioning and/or operation of a nuclear facility.
Scope notes
- a. Caution: This usage is particular to documentation relating to the safety of radioactive waste management, with the corresponding understanding of siting as a multistage process.
- b. Caution: This difference is partly a reflection of the particularly crucial role of siting in the safety of repositories.
Definition
1. A brief description of an ideal response to a postulated nuclear or radiological emergency, used to ensure that all those personnel and organizations involved in the development of a capability for emergency response share a common understanding.
Definition
A facility or location necessary for supporting an emergency response, for which specific functions are to be assigned at the preparedness stage, and which need to be usable under emergency conditions.
Scope notes
- b. For both types, advance preparations are necessary to ensure their operability under emergency conditions. Depending on the emergency preparedness category and on the nature of an emergency, an emergency response facility may be designated an emergency response location.
- c. For a nuclear power plant and other facilities in emergency preparedness category 1, emergency response facilities (which are separate from the control room and the supplementary control room) include: the technical support centre, from which technical support can be provided to the operating personnelin the control room in an emergency; the operational support centre, from which operational control can be maintained by personnel performing tasks at or near the facility; and the emergency centre, from which the on-site emergency response is managed.
- a. There are two different types of emergency response facility or location: those established in advance (e.g. a technical support centre for a nuclear power plant) and those designated at the time of an emergency (e.g. a medical screening and triage area).
Definition
A form of authorization for facilities and activities of low or moderate risks whereby the person or organization responsible for the practice has, as appropriate, prepared and submitted a safety assessment of the facilities and equipment to the regulatory body. The practice or use is authorized with conditions or limitations as appropriate.
Scope notes
- a. The requirements for safety assessment and the conditions or limitations applied to the facilities and activities would be less severe for registration than those for issuing a licence.
- b. Typical facilities and activities that are amenable to registration are those for which: (a) safety can largely be ensured by the design of the facilities and equipment; (b) the operating procedures are simple to follow; (c) the safety training requirements are minimal; and (d) there is a history of few problems with safety in operations. Registration is best suited to those facilities and activities for which operations do not vary significantly.
- c. See also registrant. Other derivative terms should not be needed; a registration is a product of the authorizationprocess, and a facility or activity with a current registration is an authorized facility or activity.
Definition
A single coherent management system for facilities and activities in which all the component parts of an organization are integrated to enable the organization’s objectives to be achieved.
Scope notes
- These component parts of an organization that are integrated include the organizational structure, resources and organizational processes.
Definition
The probability that a system or component or an item will meet its minimum performance requirements when called upon to do so, for a specified period of time and under stated operating conditions.
Scope notes
- See also availability.
- The reliability of a computer based system, for example, includes the reliability of hardware, which is usually quantified, and the reliability of software, which is usually a qualitative measure as there are no generally recognized means of quantifying the reliability of software.
Definition
A set of operations that establish, under specified conditions, the relationship between values of quantities indicated by a measuring instrument or measuring system, or values represented by a material measure or a reference material, and the corresponding values realized by standards.
Scope notes
- b. A calibration may be expressed by a statement, calibration function, calibration diagram, calibration curve or calibration table. In some cases, it may consist of an additive or multiplicative correction of the indication with associated measurement uncertainty.
- c. Calibration should not be confused with adjustment of a measuring system, often mistakenly called ‘self-calibration’, or with verification of calibration.
- a. The definition was previously “A measurement of, or adjustment to, an instrument, component or system to ensure that its accuracy or response is acceptable”.
Definition
The dose equivalent in soft tissue below a specified point on the body at an appropriate depth d.
Scope notes
- d. Hp(3) is used for monitoring exposure of the lens of the eye.
- a. Parameter used as a directly measurable proxy (i.e. substitute) for equivalent dose in tissues or organs or (with d = 10 mm) for effective dose, in individual monitoring of external exposure.
- b. The recommended values of d are 10 mm for strongly penetrating radiation and 0.07 mm for weakly penetrating radiation.
- e. ‘Soft tissue’ is commonly interpreted as the ICRU sphere.
- c. Hp(0.07) is used for monitoring for hands and feet for all radiation types.
- f. Recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements [INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIATION UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS, Quantities and Units in Radiation Protection Dosimetry, Rep. 51, ICRU, Bethesda, MD (1993).], [INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIATION UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS, Fundamental Quantities and Units for Ionizing Radiation, Rep. 60, ICRU, Bethesda, MD (1998).] as a simplification of the two separate terms [individual dose equivalent, penetrating, Hp(d)], and [individual dose equivalent, superficial, Hs(d)], defined in [INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIATION UNITS AND MEASUREMENTS, Determination of Dose Equivalents Resulting from External Radiation Sources, Rep. 39, ICRU, Bethesda, MD (1985).].
Definition
Radiation for which limits on effective dose are generally more restrictive than limits on equivalent dose to any tissue or organ; that is, the fraction of the relevant dose limit received will, for a given exposure, be higher for effective dose than for equivalent dose to any tissue or organ.
Scope notes
- a. For most practical purposes, it may be assumed that strongly penetrating radiation includes photons of energy above about 12 keV, electrons of energy more than about 2 MeV, and neutrons.
- b. Contrasting term: weakly penetrating radiation.
Definition
The reverse is generally true. Radiation for which limits on equivalent dose to any tissue or organ are generally more restrictive than limits on effective dose; that is, the fraction of the relevant dose limit received will, for a given exposure, be higher for equivalent dose to any tissue or organ than for effective dose.
Scope notes
- a. For most practical purposes, it may be assumed that weakly penetrating radiation includes photons of energy below about 12 keV, electrons of energy less than about 2 MeV, and massive charged particles such as protons and alpha particles.
- b. Contrasting term: strongly penetrating radiation.
Definition
1. The act or process of taking radionuclides into the body by inhalation or ingestion or through the skin.
Scope notes
- Other exposure pathways by intake are injection (e.g. in nuclear medicine) and intake via a wound, as distinguished from intake through (intact) skin.
Definition
The lifetime dose expected to result from an intake. See dose quantities: committed equivalent dose and committed effective dose.
Scope notes
- This term partially supersedes [dose commitment].
Definition
The SI unit of kerma and absorbed dose, equal to 1 J/kg.
Definition
Exposure to radiation from a source within the body.
Scope notes
- Contrasted with external exposure.
Definition
An intake occurring within a time period short enough that it can be treated as instantaneous for the purposes of assessing the resulting committed dose.
Scope notes
-
Caution: The exposure that results from an acute intake is not necessarily acute exposure. For a long lived radionuclide that is retained in the body, an acute intake will result in chronic (i.e. long term) exposure.
Definition
1. The dose per unit time.
Scope notes
-
Caution: Although dose rate could, in principle, be defined over any unit of time (e.g. an annual dose is technically a dose rate), in IAEA publications the term dose rate should be used only in the context of short periods of time, for example dose per second or dose per hour.
Definition
1. A source containing radioactive material that is used as a source of radiation.
Definition
The action of the biological processes by means of which incorporated radionuclides are removed from the human body.
Scope notes
-
Decorporation may be promoted by chemical or biological agents.
Definition
1. The function or power or (usually as controls) means of directing, regulating or restraining.
Scope notes
- It should be noted that the usual meaning of the English word control in safety related contexts is somewhat ‘stronger’ (more active) than that of its usual translations and other similar words in some other languages. For example, control typically implies not only checking or monitoring something but also ensuring that corrective or enforcement measures are taken if the results of the checking or monitoring indicate such a need. This is in contrast, for example, to the more limited usage of the equivalent word in French and Spanish.
Definition
The non-urgent removal or extended exclusion of people from an area to avoid long term exposure from deposited radioactive material.
Scope notes
-
Relocation is considered to be permanent relocation if return is not foreseeable; otherwise it is temporary relocation.
Definition
The short term use of a structure for protection from an airborne plume and/or deposited radioactive material.
Scope notes
- Sheltering is an urgent protective action, used to provide shielding against external exposure and to reduce the intake of airborne radionuclides by inhalation.
<h2>Definition</h2><p>The quantity <I>H</I><sub>T</sub>(<font style="font-family:Symbol">t</font>), defined as: <pre>
<img src="https://vocabulary.iaea.org/https://nucleus.iaea.org/sites/nss-oui/Figures/i_74e87cfc-5b5d-44ef-a84d-08f479c4e58d.JPG " style="width: 180px;">
</pre>where t<sub>0</sub> is the time of <i>intake</i>,
<img src="https://vocabulary.iaea.org/https://nucleus.iaea.org/sites/nss-oui/Figures/i_27d66523-ec9a-4b92-aa88-ad1026689d10.JPG " style="width: 40px;">
is the equivalent <i>dose rate</i> at time <I>t</I> in tissue or organ T and <font style="font-family:Symbol">t</font> is the integration time elapsed after an <i>intake</i> of <i>radioactive substances</i>. Where <font style="font-family:Symbol">t</font> is not specified, it is taken to be 50 years for <i>intakes</i> by adults and the time to the age of 70 years for <i>intakes</i> by children.</p><h2>Scope notes</h2><ul><li>That is, for <i>intakes</i> by children, 70 years minus the age in years: so, for example, 60 years for a 10 year old child.</li></ul>
Definition
For purposes of protection and safety, in a general sense, any individual in the population except when subject to occupational exposure or medical exposure. For the purpose of verifying compliance with the annual dose limit for public exposure, this is the representative person.
Definition
2. The activity of a radionuclide taken into the body in a given time period or as a result of a given event.
Definition
The process by means of which systems and components of facilities and activities, having been constructed, are made operational and verified to be in accordance with the design and to have met the required performance criteria.
Scope notes
-
Commissioning may include both non-nuclear and/or non-radioactive and nuclear and/or radioactive testing.
- The terms siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning are normally used to delineate the six major stages of the lifetime of an authorized facility and of the associated licensing process. In the special case of disposal facilities for radioactive waste, decommissioning is replaced in this sequence by closure.
Definition
2. Confirmation by examination and by means of objective evidence that specified objectives have been met and specified requirements for specific results have been fulfilled. See validation.
Scope notes
- a. The corresponding status is termed ‘verified’.
- b. Verification typically entails the assessment of the results of an individual activity against its inputs.
- c. Verification may comprise activities such as: performing alternative calculations; comparing a new design specification with a similar proven design specification; undertaking tests and demonstrations; and reviewing documents prior to issue.
Definition
Of a radionuclide, the activity per unit mass of that nuclide. The specific activity of a material is the activity per unit mass or volume of the material in which the radionuclides are essentially uniformly distributed. The specific activity of a material, for the purposes of the Transport Regulations, is the activity per unit mass of the material in which the radionuclides are essentially uniformly distributed. (From INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material — 2018 Edition, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-6 (Rev. 1), IAEA, Vienna (2018).)
Scope notes
- a. The distinction in usage between specific activity and activity concentration is controversial. Some regard the terms as synonymous, and may favour one or the other (as above). ISO 921 [INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION, Nuclear Energy: Vocabulary (Second Edition), ISO 921:1997, ISO, Geneva (1997).] distinguishes between specific activity as the activity per unit mass and activity concentration as the activity per unit volume.
- b. Another common distinction is that specific activity is used (usually as activity per unit mass) with reference to a pure sample of a radionuclide or, less strictly, to cases where a radionuclide is intrinsically present in the material (e.g. carbon-14 in organic materials, uranium-235 in natural uranium), even if the abundance of the radionuclide is artificially changed. In this usage, activity concentration (which may be activity per unit mass or per unit volume) is used for any other situation (e.g. when the activity is in the form of contamination in or on a material).
- c. In general, the term activity concentration is more widely applicable, is more self-evident in meaning, and is less likely than specific activity to be confused with unrelated terms (such as ‘specified activities’). Activity concentration is therefore preferred to specific activity for general use in safety related IAEA publications.
Definition
A situation of exposure that arises as a result of an accident, a malicious act or other unexpected event, and requires prompt action in order to avoid or to reduce adverse consequences.
Scope notes
- b. Exposure in an emergency can be reduced only by protective actions and other response actions.
- a. Exposure in an emergency can include both occupational exposure and public exposure, and can include unplanned exposures resulting directly in the emergency exposure situation and planned exposures to emergency workers and helpers in an emergency undertaking actions to mitigate the consequences of the emergency.
Definition
Measures for the protection of nuclear material or authorized facilities, designed to prevent unauthorized access or removal of fissile material or sabotage with regard to safeguards, as, for example, in the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.
Scope notes
- a. This definition is used in the CPPNM [Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, INFCIRC/274/Rev.1, IAEA, Vienna (1980) and Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, INFCIRC/274/Rev. 1/Mod. 1 (Corrected), IAEA, Vienna (2021)]
- b. The 2005 Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities was adopted on 8 July 2005.
- c. The preferred approach, in cases where the term physical protection is still used (i.e. primarily in guidance supporting Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, INFCIRC/225/Revision 5, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011)), is to use it without explicit definition, making its meaning clear from the context and the measures described.
- d. A footnote in Nuclear Security Recommendations on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, INFCIRC/225/Revision 5, IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 13, IAEA, Vienna (2011) effectively defines physical protection as the nuclear security of nuclear material and nuclear facilities. Hence, when the context is clearly nuclear material and nuclear facilities, physical protection and nuclear security may be considered synonymous. However, the term physical protection is sometimes understood to exclude ‘non-physical’ security measures, such as computer security or nuclear materialaccounting and control, so the preference is to avoid explicit definitions.