Some suggestions to adequate the IAEA Safety Standards Series No. 49 according to the General Safety Requirements Part 3 from IAEA

Abstract

At that time of publication SSR49 two exposure situations were considered, namely: practices and interventions, with Naturally Occuring Radioactive Material (NORM) being considered as intervention exposures but acknowledging that some natural sources can have exposures resulting from practices. In the Ba sic Safety Standards (BSS) the exposure situations have been categorised as planned, emergency and existing. These three situations necessitate an update of SSR No.49 since NORM fits in the existing situation, i.e one in which the doses already exist and should be reduced. To reduce the doses will create radioactive waste that must be either treated or stored. This scenario raises a problem of defining the dividing line between existing and planned situations. The point of transistion from one situation to the other needs to be clarified in order to establish the necessary controls for an existing situation whilst providing the necessary controls needed for the planned situation. For the latter planned situation several questions arise as to whether certain requirements can be exempted and under what circumstances. This paper will examine what the authors consider most important in more detail with some suggestions made for further consideration.