ASN Report 2017

318 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Chapter 11  - Transport of radioactive substances compliance with the regulatory requirements and providing proof thereof. This for example consists in performing double independent checks on the most important operations, in adopting a system of checklists to ensure that the operators forget nothing, in keeping a trace of all the operations and all the checks performed, etc. The quality assurance system is a key element in ensuring the reliability of transport operations. The regulations also require that all operators involved in transport receive training appropriate to their functions and responsibilities. This training must in particular cover the steps to be taken in the event of an accident. Contractors who carry, load, unload or handle (after loading and before unloading) packages of radioactive substances on French soil shall declare themselves to ASN. Seven days before departure, the transport of some radioactive substances (notably fissile materials) is subject to prior notification of ASN and the Ministry of the Interior by the consignor. This notification stipulates the materials carried, the packagings used, the transport conditions and the details of the consigner, the carrier and the consignee. It is a means of ensuring that the public authorities have rapid access to useful information in the event of an accident. In 2017, 1,659 notifications were sent to ASN. 2.5 Preparedness for emergency management Emergency management is the final level in the defence in depth system. In the event of an accident involving transport, it should be able to minimise the consequences for persons and the environment. As a transport accident can happen anywhere in the country, it is probable that the emergency services arriving on the scene would have no specific training in radiological risks and that the population in the vicinity would be unaware of this particular risk. It is therefore particularly important that the national emergency response organisation be robust enough to take account of these points. In this respect, the regulations set obligations on the various stakeholders in the field of transport. All those involved must therefore immediately alert the emergency services in the event of an accident. This is more particularly true for the carrier, who would in principle be the first party to be informed. It must also transmit the alert to the consignor. Furthermore, the vehicle crew must have written instructions available in the cab, stipulating the first steps to be taken in the event of an accident (for example, trip the circuit-breaker, if the vehicle is so equipped, to prevent any outbreak of fire). Once the alert has been given, the parties involved must place themselves at the disposal of the public authorities to assist with the response operations, more specifically by providing all pertinent information in their possession. This in particular concerns the carrier and the consignor who have information about the package and its contents that is of great value for determining the appropriate measures to be taken. To meet these regulatory obligations, ASN recommends that the parties involved implement emergency response plans allowing the organisation and tools to be defined in advance, enabling them to react efficiently in the event of a real emergency. The driver may be unable to give the alert, if injured or killed in the accident. In this case, detection of the radioactive nature of the consignment would be the entire responsibility of the emergency response services. The orange-coloured plates and the trefoil symbols on the vehicles thus indicate the presence of dangerous goods: the emergency services are then ordered to automatically evacuate an area with a radius of 100 m around the vehicle and notify the radioactive nature of the load to the office of the Prefect, which will then alert ASN. Management of the accident is coordinated by the Prefect, who oversees the response operations. Until such time as the national experts are in a position to provide him or her with advice, the Prefect relies on the emergency plan adopted to deal with these situations (see box). Once its national emergency centre has been activated, ASN is able to offer the Prefect assistance by providing technical advice on the more specific measures to be taken. In these situations, IRSN assists ASN by assessing the condition of the damaged FOCUS ASN recommendations in the event of a transport accident The response by the public authorities in the event of a transport accident comprises three phases: 1. The emergency services reach the site and initiate “reflex” measures to limit the consequences of the accident and protect the population. The radioactive nature of the substances involved is discovered during this phase. 2. The entity coordinating the emergency response confirms that the substances are indeed radioactive, alerts ASN and IRSN and gives more specific instructions to the responders, pending the activation of the national emergency centres. 3. Once the ASN and IRSN emergency centres have been activated, a more detailed analysis of the situation is made in order to advise the person in charge of the emergency operations. During the first two phases, the emergency services must manage the situation without the support of the national experts. In 2017, with the assistance of IRSN and the national Nuclear Risk Management Aid commission (MARN), ASN drafted a document to help direct the actions of the emergency services. It contains general information about radioactivity, general recommendations for the emergency services so that their response can take account of the specific nature of radioactive substance transports, plus sheets organised per type of substance, providing more detailed information and advice for the emergency response coordinator during phase 2. This enabled old sheets to be updated by incorporating changes in accident management procedures and lessons learned from emergency exercises.