Status of achievements reached in applying optimization of protection in design and normal operation of nuclear facilities

The increased emphasis in recent years on the ALARA principle and its practical implementation has opened new perspectives in the organisation of radiological protection. This change could be characterised as a shift from an 'a posteriori' control, (i.e. demonstrating that dose limits had not been exceeded), towards an 'a priori' management or dose predictive approach. Undoubtedly in both operation and design conscious efforts are made to achieve ALARA. However, there are certainly differences in various organisations' perceptions of what this practically entails and there is scope for us all to learn. If the 'ALARA Procedure' remains only a tool used at the early stage of design or as an elegant means of justifying past choices, it will have missed its main objective which is to give more rational and coherent management of practical protection at both the design and operational stages. We feel that the integration of the structured approaches of the ALARA Procedure and the ALARA Audit, into radiation protection programmes provides the best way forwad. This would require ALARA studies moving from the province of the 'experts' to the 'practitioners'. This in turn will require us to provide them with the tools to do the job. The methodology is secure but the areas of dose data collection and the costing of detriment need to be addressed further. Similarly, there is perhaps a need for the 'experts' to develop further experience of using the multiattribute and multicriteria techniques for the higher level decisions