Inspection of radiation sources and regulatory enforcement (supplement to IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GS-G-1.5)

The achievement and maintenance of a high level of safety in the use of radiation sources depends on there being a sound legal and governmental infrastructure, including a national regulatory body with well-defined responsibilities and functions. These responsibilities and functions include establishing and implementing a system for carrying out regulatory inspections, and taking necessary enforcement actions. The Safety Requirements publication entitled Legal and Governmental Infrastructure for Nuclear, Radiation, Radioactive Waste and Transport Safety establishes the requirements for legal and governmental infrastructure. The term 'infrastructure' refers to the underlying structure of systems and organizations. This includes requirements concerning the establishment of a regulatory body for radiation sources and the responsibilities and functions assigned to it. The International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (the Basic Safety Standards or the BSS) establish basic requirements for protection against risks associated with exposure to ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources. The application of the BSS is based on the presumption that national infrastructures are in place to enable governments to discharge their responsibilities to for radiation protection and safety. This TECDOC provides practical guidance on the processes for carrying out regulatory inspections and taking enforcement actions. It includes information on the development and use of procedures and standard review plans (i.e. checklists) for inspection. Specific procedures for inspection of radiation practices and sources are provided in the Appendices