Updated Self-assessment Tool Helps Countries Strengthen Nuclear and Radiation Safety

The IAEA has updated the online self-assessment tool that helps countries review and enhance their national legal and regulatory infrastructure for nuclear and radiation safety.

The questionnaire-based tool called eSARIS - Self-Assessment of Regulatory Infrastructure for Safety - supports countries to review their national legal and regulatory infrastructure for nuclear and radiation safety in line with IAEA safety standards.

"The updated software enables regulatory authorities to perform a quality review," said Ronald Pacheco, Head of the IAEA Control of Sources Unit. "They can evaluate the comprehensiveness and completeness of their responses before conducting an analysis against the IAEA safety standards for drawing recommendations for further improvement."

In response to feedback from nuclear and radiation safety regulators who use the tool, the eSARIS question sets have been thoroughly revised and reduced, significantly shortening the time required to complete the questionnaire. A new intuitive interface and extensive guidance on providing comprehensive answers will help users leverage the system's full potential for an effective evaluation of their regulatory infrastructure.

The four components of eSARIS support countries in conducting a comprehensive self-assessment in preparation for IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) missions; evaluating compliance with IAEA safety standards on occupational exposure related to responsibilities of end users and technical service providers; assessing regulations against relevant IAEA safety standards (No. GSR Part 3); and assessing the safety infrastructure for a nuclear power programme according to IAEA safety standards (No. SSG-16 (Rev. 1)) using the Integrated Review of Infrastructure for Safety (IRIS) tool.

IAEA safety standards provide a robust framework of fundamental principles, requirements and guidance to ensure nuclear and radiation safety. They reflect an international consensus and serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.