Regulation and inspection support radiation protection in nuclear and other installations

Over the past fifty years, radiation protection legislation in the UK has developed from a narrow industry-specific base to a comprehensive package of regulations and supporting Approved Code of Practice, with additional provisions for nuclear installations. Development of this legislation mirrors progress in international understanding about the risks from exposure to ionising radiation. The current Ionising Radiations Regulations 1985 largely implement the Euratom 1980 Basic Safety Standards Directive and place particular emphasis on the need to keep exposure as low as reasonably practicable. The regulations have been underpinned by the development of the concept of the Tolerability of Risk and the application of the ALARP/ALARA principle, particularly at nuclear installations. Analysis of dose data on HSE's Central Index of Dose Information has shown the general success of this approach in the UK; the data have also allowed targeting of inspection effort. Currently, the Health and Safety Commission and Executive are developing plans for implementing the revised EU Basic Safety Standards Directive. (author)