Full report on the assessment audit coordinated by the IAEA published by ASN at www.asn.fr
Information notice
The full report on the international IRRS (Integrated Regulatory Review Service) audit, carried out at the request of the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) from 29 March to 3 April 2009, has just been submitted to the ASN. The hundred-page text provides supplementary details beyond the initial findings presented by the international experts at the end of the audit.
The IRRS audit focused firstly on a review of the actions implemented by the ASN in response to the recommendations and suggestions made at the time of the previous audit in November 2006 and secondly on the provisions in place to monitor the safety of nuclear sources.
The audit was coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and carried out by twelve experts from the nuclear safety authorities in Germany, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Spain, USA, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, UK and Sweden.
The auditors looked at the relevance and implementation of the solutions chosen in response to the recommendations and suggestions issued in 2006 for all areas of the ASN’s work, such as supervising nuclear reactors, research facilities and the healthcare sector and radiation protection for workers, for each of its key activities – regulating, supervising and providing information.
The audit report confirms that the ASN has taken effective measures in response to the recommendations and suggestions contained in the international reference framework, and highlights the ASN’s positive status with regard to the best international practice in nuclear safety and radiation protection. It also emphasises the ASN's good practice, in particular:
- its role on an international stage in improving nuclear safety and radiation protection;
- the relations developed in the domestic field to ensure effective supervision of nuclear safety and radiation protection;
- the quick and efficient implementation of provisions laid down in the Act on transparency and nuclear safety.
Four areas for improvement were nonetheless highlighted including the management of ASN human resources, the supervision of expert reviews performed by the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) on behalf of the ASN and the action plan to be implemented once the ASN becomes responsible for monitoring the safety of nuclear sources.
The ASN will implement the recommendations issued by the auditors in order to further improve its practice and organisational methods in the light of the leading international standards.
The full English text of the audit report can be consulted on the website www.asn.fr, along with a summary in French.
Date of last update : 03/09/2021