ASN Annual report 2024

conditions so permit because they do not make use of a radioactive source. Apart from non-destructive inspection, these devices can also be used for more specific and therefore rarer purposes, such as radiography for the restoration of musical instruments or paintings, archaeological study of mummies or the analysis of fossils. 3.1.2 Evaluation of the radiation protection situation Industrial radiography activities are highrisk activities which have been an inspection priority for ASN for several years now. In 2024, ASN conducted 149 inspections in this area, a figure that is in line with the average of the last few years, after a slight drop in 2023. Among these inspections, 61 were unannounced inspections on night-time worksites, where applicable. The on-line notification of worksite schedules for industrial radiography companies put in place by ASN in 2014 facilitates the planning of these inspections. ASN notes that virtually all the companies concerned routinely use this system for giving notification of their worksites. The reliability of the information transmitted however, is still very varied. The points to improve include: ∙the updating of schedules when they are changed or cancelled; ∙the accuracy of the worksite location information (not to be confused with the address of the ordering company); ∙the completeness of the worksite notification; ∙the identification of the device used on the worksite (gamma radiography or X-ray device). ASN observes that the large majority of companies maintained the necessary rigour to meet the regulatory requirements concerning the appointing of a RPE (less than 5% of the inspected companies failed to meet the requirements), worker dose monitoring and radiological zoning of their facilities (about 15% of the companies failed to meet the requirements in these latter two areas, slightly more than in 2023). Furthermore, the inspectors noted that the frequency of maintenance of gamma radiography devices on the whole complies with regulations, even if there is a slight increase in the number of non- compliances (6% for projectors, 7% for accessories). Similarly, nearly all the operators inspected by ASN held, when it was necessary, the Certificate of competence in the use of industrial radiology devices (CAMARI) required by Article R. 4451-61 of the Labour Code (only one case of noncompliance observed, concerning use in worksite conditions). It should be noted that as from 1 January 2025, pursuant to the new Articles R. 445162 and R. 4451-63 of the Labour Code, the utilisation of an industrial radio- logy device containing one or more high- activity sealed sources in a work zone will require at least two of the owner company’s employees to hold the CAMARI certificate (see point 5). The inspectors also noted that the efforts made by the companies to train newly- arrived classified workers had been maintained. Consequently, this information was duly dispensed to the new staff in 93% of the inspected facilities concerned in 2024. Furthermore, although only one inspection revealed noncompliance with the licence issued by ASN concerning the radionuclides or maximum activity held, companies must nevertheless be more thorough in checking that their inventory of sealed radioactive sources is consistent with the national inventory held by IRSN (inconsistencies were found in 12% of the inspected companies). Lastly, the companies must continue to devote considerable efforts not only to defining an exhaustive programme of verifications as required by the Labour Code and implementing it correctly, but also to correcting the nonconformities found during these verifications and ensuring the traceability of the corrections made (nonconformities were noted in nearly half the inspections). Despite a slight improvement in 2023 and in 2024, ASN still considers that the deviations observed in cordoning off the work zones on worksites (found in virtually one inspection in five) give cause for concern. ASN underlines that the lack of preparation and cooperation between the ordering customers and the radiography contractors before starting worksites is one of the causes of these deviations. Thus, nearly half the inspections found deviations concerning the prevention plan (for example: no plan, operators unaware of the plan, plan not available on the worksite, or shortcomings in the content). ASN points out that the work area must be cordoned off before the work begins and, in all events, before the radiography Schematic diagram of the functioning of a gamma ray projector ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 263 11 12 13 14 15 AP 10 09 Sources of ionising radiation and their industrial, veterinary and research applications 08 01 02 03 04 05 06 07

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