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Safety of Research Reactors

As with all applications of nuclear technology, safety is paramount. 

As defined in the IAEA Safety Series 110, the general safety objective in all nuclear installations is to protect individuals, society and the environment from harm by establishing and maintaining effective defence against radiological hazards. This Safety Objective requires that nuclear installations are designed and operated so as to keep all sources of radiation exposure under strict technical and administrative control.
IAEA supports and promotes several safety initiatives with regard to research reactors, including:
  • Development of Safety Standards and Guides on Research Reactors Safety
  • Improving safety practices in research reactors through various funding programmes
  • Providing safety services for research reactors
  • Developing and implementing the Enhancement Safety Plan for Research Reactors.
SAFETY ENHANCEMENT PLAN FOR RESEARCH REACTORS
The IAEA General Conference passed a resolution, which requested that the Secretariat develops and implements an international research reactor safety enhancement plan in cooperation with Member States.

One of the actions of this plan was the preparation of the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors. The objective of this Code is to achieve and maintain high level safety in Research Reactors worldwide through the enhancement of national and international measures. The Board adopted the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors, in March 2004 and the text is available through the IAEA’s web-page: www.iaea.org.
   
SAFETY SERVICES FOR RESEARCH REACTORS

Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR) missions are an IAEA safety services offered upon request to all Member States. This safety service compares the safety of the reactor with the IAEA’s safety standards. Key areas of scrutiny include Design, Safety Culture, Regulatory Supervision, Reactor Maintenance, Radiation Protection, and Radioactive Waste Management.

INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM FOR RESEARCH REACTORS (IRSRR)

The IAEA also supports an Incident Reporting System for Research Reactors (IRSRR) to improve the safety of research reactors through the exchange of safety-related information on unusual events.

Proper analysis of unusual events can identify the root causes and provide valuable lessons to be learned by reactor operators or reactor designers. Information about the IRSRR database is available on the IAEA’s web-pages.

To date, some 42 Member States have joined the IRSRR.


INSARR mission at Maria research    reactor in Poland