ASN Report 2017

140 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Chapter 04  - Regulation of nuclear activities and exposure to ionising radiation recommendations if necessary. Articles L. 592-35 et seq. of the Environment Code give ASN powers to set up a commission of inquiry, 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 6th November 2007 on technical inquiries into accidents or incidents concerning a nuclear activity specifies the procedure to be followed. It is based on the practices established for the other investigation bureaus and takes account of the specific characteristics of ASN, particularly its independence, its ability to impose prescriptions or penalties if necessary and the concurrence of its investigative and other duties. 3.3.4 Statistical summary of events In 2017, ASN was notified of: ཛྷ ཛྷ 1,165 significant events concerning nuclear safety, radiation protection and the environment in BNIs; 1,040 of these events were rated on the INES scale (949 events rated level 0, 87 events rated level 1 and 4 event rated level 2). Of these events, 18 significant events were rated as “generic events” including 3 at level 1 on the INES scale and 3 at level 2; ཛྷ ཛྷ 66 significant events concerning the transport of radioactive substances, including 2 level 1 events on the INES scale; ཛྷ ཛྷ 655 significant events concerning radiation protection in small- scale nuclear activities, including 183 rated on the INES scale (of which 36 were level 1 events and 3 level 2). 2017 was marked by several events rated level 2 on the INES scale in the field of NPPs and in the medical field. Details are given on these events in chapter 2 with regard to the medical events and in chapter 12 with regard to events concerning the NPPs. As indicated earlier, these data must be used with caution: they do not in themselves constitute a safety indicator. ASN encourages the licensees to notify incidents, which contributes to transparency and the sharing of experience. The distribution of significant events rated on the INES scale is specified in Table 6. As the INES scale does not apply to significant events concerning patients, the rating on the ASN-SFRO 3 scale of significant events affecting one or more radiotherapy patients is described in chapter 9. 3 . This scale is designed for communication with the public in comprehensible, explicit terms, concerning radiation protection events leading to unexpected or unforeseeable effects on patients undergoing a radiotherapy medical procedure. GRAPH 5: Events involving safety in NPPs, notified in 2017 GRAPH 6: Events involving safety in BNIs other than NPPs notified in 2017 40 25 2 362 70 204 27 5 18 4 3 1 21 11 36 17 TOTAL 688 TOTAL 158 Event which led to safety limit(s) being exceeded Event actually or potentially affecting the containment of hazardous materials Other significant events which could affect safety Fault, deterioration or failure which affected a safety function Inadvertent start-up of a protection or safeguard system Event which led to or which could have led to the dispersal of hazardous materials Internal or external hazard affecting the availability of important equipment Event affecting a safety function and potentially constituting an accident precursor Deviation from Operational Technical Specifications (STE) or event which could lead to a deviation Other significant events which could affect safety Transition to shutdown state in accordance with STE or accident procedures Automatic reactor trip Design, manufacturing or assembly anomaly Inadvertent start-up of a protection or safeguard system Occurrence of an internal or external natural hazard (flood, fire, etc.) Event or anomaly specific to the primary or secondary system Event which caused or could cause multiple failures