Planning for potential nuclear accidents

In the UK, plans for dealing with off-site consequences of a nuclear emergency have been subject to continual review and development since the commissioning of the first commercial nuclear power stations in the early 1960s. Legislation requires each nuclear site to be licensed and conditions attached to the licence ensure that operators have adequate on and off-site emergency arrangements. Planning in detail restricted to emergency planning zones of up to 3.5 km radius but plans are capable of extension in the unlikely event that a very severe accident was to occur. The short-term countermeasures of sheltering, stable iodine and evacuation all feature in plans for UK commercial nuclear sites. Exercises test on and off-site arrangements at regular intervals. (author)