Roles, functions and value of TSOs

The notion of a technical and scientific support organization (TSO) is very broad, ranging from specialists with very specific areas of expertise to university laboratories, each with its own field of competence, nuclear research centres, often with large experimental facilities, and organizations having experts covering most domains of nuclear and radiological safety, which can give regular, global assessments of the safety of installations. As a support to the national regulatory authority (NRA), TSOs provide technical and scientific bases for the NRA's decisions. They provide safety assessments and in some countries also inspect installations on behalf of the NRA. They can in this way give early warning of declining performance and degradation before these become safety problems. They can also assist the NRA in writing regulations, taking into account the implementation aspects. In case of accidents, TSOs can try to predict their evolution and advise on possible countermeasures. Technical and scientific support organizations can play similar roles as a support to the industry, including assessing draft regulations. They can also make proposals on how to solve the problems they unearth, as the licensee is responsible for the safe operation of its facilities and must select the appropriate solutions. A major task for TSOs is to keep abreast of technological developments, emerging concerns and new designs. Thus there is a need to participate in R and D projects, often at the international level. Tasks that can help in the maintenance and transfer of knowledge include operating experience feedback and periodic safety reviews, both of which are quite useful for improving the safety of existing installations. When TSOs provide the scientific basis for decisions, they can explain and give credibility to such decisions, taking care to stay independent of political or economic interests. (author)