human measures taken by the licensee to maintain or bring the installation to a safe condition, and the pertinence of the submitted analysis. ASN and IRSN also carry out a more wide-ranging examination of the operating feedback from the events. The significant event reports and the periodic reviews sent by the licensees, as well as the assessment by ASN and IRSN, constitute the basis of OEF. The examination of OEF may lead to ASN requests for improvements to the condition of the facilities and the organisation adopted by the licensee, but also to changes to the regulations. OEF comprises the events which occur in France and abroad in nuclear facilities or in those presenting non-radiological hazards, if it is pertinent to take them into account in order to reinforce nuclear safety or radiation protection. 3.3.3 Technical inquiries held in the event of an incident or accident concerning a nuclear activity ASN has the authority to carry out an immediate technical inquiry in the event of an incident or accident in a nuclear activity. This inquiry consists in collecting and analysing all useful information, without prejudice to any judicial inquiry, in order to determine the circumstances and the identified or possible causes of the event, and draw up the appropriate recommendations if necessary. Articles L. 592-35 et seq. of the Environment Code give ASN powers to set up a board of inquiry, 2. This scale is designed for communication with the public in comprehensible, explicit terms, concerning radiation protection events leading to unexpected or unforeseeable effects affecting patients undergoing a radiotherapy medical procedure. determine its composition (ASN staff and people from outside ASN), define the subject and scope of the investigations and gain access to all necessary elements in the event of a judicial inquiry. Decree 2007-1572 of 6 November 2007 on technical inquiries into accidents or incidents concerning a nuclear activity specifies the procedure to be followed. It is based on practices defined by the other boards of inquiry and takes account of aspects specific to ASN, notably its independence, its own roles, its ability to impose binding requirements or sanctions. 3.3.4 Statistical summary of events In 2024, 2,260 significant events were reported to ASN (see Table 6 above): ∙1,200 significant events concerning nuclear safety, radiation protection, the environment and the on-site transport of hazardous materials within BNIs, 1,124 of which are rated on the INES scale (75 level 1 events and two level 2 events). Of these events, 16 significant events were rated as “generic events”, in other words concerning several reactors, including one at level 2 on the INES scale; ∙103 significant events concerning TSR on the public highway (three events rated level 1 on the INES scale); ∙956 ESR for small-scale nuclear activities, including 210 rated on the INES scale (21 level 1 events). Graphs 1 to 6 (see next pages) describe in detail the significant events reported to ASN in 2024, differentiating between them according to the various notification criteria for each field of activity. In 2024, two events were rated level 2 on the INES scale. The rise in the number of nuclear activity significant events notified cannot be ascribed to any particular area or any specific cause. The details of the statistical analysis of these events are given in chapters 7 and following. The two level 2 events concern the external contamination of two workers in the Tricastin and Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux NPPs. They are presented in a box in chapter 10 (see page 316). As indicated earlier, these data must be used with caution: they do not in themselves constitute a safety indicator. ASN encourages the licensees to report incidents, which contributes to transparency and the sharing of experience. The breakdown of significant events rated on the INES scale is specified in Table 6 (see above). As the INES scale does not apply to significant events concerning patients, the rating of significant events affecting one or more patients in radiotherapy on the ASN-SFRO scale(2) is specified in chapter 7. Similarly, significant events concerning the environment but involving non-radiological substances are not covered by the INES scale. They are classified as “out of INES scale” events. TABLE 6 Number of significant events rated on the INES scale between 2019 and 2024 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Basic Nuclear Installations Level 0 1,057 1,033 1,068 985 1,010 1,047 Level 1 112 107 103 97 86 75 Level 2 3 2 1 0 2 2 Level 3 and + 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 1,172 1,142 1,172 1,082 1,098 1,124 Small-scale nuclear activities (medical and industry) Level 0 142 135 177 163 176 210 Level 1 35 24 33 37 25 21 Level 2 2 1 0 2 0 0 Level 3 and + 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 179 160 210 202 201 231 Transport of radioactive substances Level 0 85 71 80 76 84 100 Level 1 4 4 4 12 2 3 Level 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 Level 3 and + 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 89 75 84 88 86 103 Grand Total 1,440 1,377 1,466 1,372 1,385 1,458 * Only the data concerning significant events rated level 1 and higher on the INES scale were updated (following the re-ratings carried out in the year following that of reporting). ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 157 01 Regulation of nuclear activities and exposure to ionising radiation 03 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 AP 02 04
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