ASN Report 2017

172 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Chapter 06  - Informing the public and other audiences 1. Developing relations between ASN and the public 1.1 Raising awareness in the public at large and developing a “risk awareness culture” among citizens ASN fosters the development of a “nuclear risk awareness culture” and the involvement of citizens in subjects relating to nuclear safety and radiation protection. To this end, ASN develops complete communication vectors combining printed publications, the website, the social networks, press relations and meetings and interchanges with the stakeholders. In 2017, ASN continued the information and iodine tablet distribution campaign in the vicinity of BNIs, by sending systematic reminders to those buildings open to the public which had not yet collected their stocks of iodine tablets. It also assessed the effectiveness of this national campaign and measured the progress made in its visibility, recognition and the collection of iodine tablets (see box). 1.1.1 The website - www.asn.fr With more than 50,000 individual visitors per month on average, the www.asn.fr website is at the heart of the system for informing the public and other audiences. All the draft opinions and resolutions can be consulted on the website. A total of more than 3.2 million pages of the site were viewed in 2017. The website is also a reference source of information for the more informed audiences: expert citizens, members of environmental associations and professionals. A new version of the website went on line in June 2017, simplifying access to the information and documents published and meeting the new browsing requirements (mappings, enriched content). Website frequentation has increased by more than 40% further to this overhaul. A t ASN, the French nuclear safety Authority, informing the public and other audiences is at the centre of its activities. The Acts of 2006 on Transparency and Security in the Nuclear field 1 and 2015 on Energy Transition for Green Growth 2 explicitly entrusted ASN with the mission of making a statement on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France. Consequently, throughout the year ASN informs the citizens, the media, the institutional and professional audiences of the situation of the Basic Nuclear Installations (BNI) and small-scale nuclear activities with respect to the safety and radiation protection requirements. It presents its regulatory and oversight activity and the actions it takes in this respect, and widely disseminates its resolutions and position statements, explaining them where necessary. It publishes notices, guides and reports intended for professionals and informed audiences. ASN also encourages the involvement of civil society inmaintaining nuclear safety and radiation protection: for example, it consults the stakeholders and the public on its draft resolutions. To this end, it ensures that the principles of nuclear safety and radiation protection are understood by the widest possible audience: it produces explanatory documents and endeavours to render even the most technical issues understandable. In 2017, ASN also continued its work to enhance the nuclear risk awareness culture by developing, jointly with the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the ASN-IRSN travelling exhibition. To satisfy the needs for explanations inherent to a wide audience, the publication formats are varied and meet new expectations, particularly on the social networks (primacy of the image, simplified diagrams, computer graphics and illustrations). New educational content is also regularly put on line. ASN takes care to translate into English the majority of the information notices, press releases, publications and content concerning major issues. These publications in English support ASN’s work in large international organisations and foster a concerted world-scale vision of nuclear safety and radiation protection. Lastly, ASN sends its two-monthly Lettre de l’Autorité de sûreté nucléaire (Nuclear Safety Authority Newsletter) to more than 4,000 subscribers. This publication provides a summary of the most noteworthy topical issues and information relative to ASN resolutions and actions, including on the international front. To subscribe to the ASN newsletter, simply register on www.asn.fr . 1.1.2 The social networks The website content, which can be consulted on all digital media, is also shared on the main social media (primarily Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn). The news feeds on the ASN social network accounts relay the main position statements and are followed by more than 8,000 subscribers on Twitter, more than 4,500 on LinkedIn and nearly 3,000 on Facebook. The major events in which ASNparticipates (parliamentary hearings, public meetings) are announced and can be followed in real time on the social networks. Since2011, socialmediahavebeen integrated in the communication organisation set-up for the emergency exercises and participate in the “media pressure simulations”. The issue at stake is to take into account factors such as the immediacy of the reactions, the 1 . Act 2006-686 of 13th June 2006 relative to Transparency and Security in the Nuclear Field (TSN Act) 2 . Act 2015-992 of 17th August 2015 relative to Energy Transition for Green Growth (TECV Act)