Annual Report 1991-92
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ANNUAL REPORT 1991-92 GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ATOMIC ENERGY REGULATORY BOARD BOMBAY ATOMIC ENERGY REGULATORY BOARD Shri S.D. Soman ... Chairman Dr. R.D. Lele ... Member Consultant Physician and Director of Nuclear Medicine, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Bombay. Dr. S.S. Ramaswamy ... Member Retd. Director General, Factory Advice Service & Labour Institute Bombay. Dr. A. Ciopalakrishnan ... Member Director, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute Durgapur S.Vasant Kumar ... Ex-officio Chairman, Member Safety Review Committee for Operating Plants (SARCOP), Bombay Dr. K.S. Parthasarathy ... Secretary Dy. Director, AERB Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Vikram Sarabhai Bhavari, Anushakti Nagar, Bombay-400 094. ATOMIC ENERGY REGULATORY BOARD The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was constituted on November 15. 1983 by the President of India by exercising the powers conferred by Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act 1962 (33 of 1962) to cany out certain regulatory and safety functions under the Act The regulatory authority (Annexure-I) of AERB is derived from rules and notifications promulgated under the Atomic Energy Act 1962 and Environmental Protection Act 1986 The mission of the Beard is to ensure that the use of ionizing radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause undue risk to health safety and the environment The Board consists of a full time Chairman, an ex-officio Member, three part time Members and a Secretary The bio-data of its members is given in Annexure-ll AERB is supported by th? Advisory Committees for Proiect Salety Review (ACPSRs one for the nuclear power projects and the other for heavy water projects) Ihe Safely Review Committee for Operating Plants (SARCOP) and Salety Review Committee for Applications ol Radiation (SARCARt The memberships of these committees are given in Annexure-lll The ACPSR recommends to the AERB. issuance ot authorisa- tions at different stages of DAE plants after reviewing submissions from plant authorities and based on the recommendations of the associated Design Safety Committees SARCOP enforces salety stipulations in the operatfng units of DAE The SARCAR recommends procedures to enforce radiation safet, in medical, industrial and research institutions using radiation and radioactive sources AERB receives advice from two independent Committees — Advisory Committee on Radiological Protection and Advisory Committee on Nuclear Safety These Committees are composed of technical experts from AERB. DAE and institutions outside DAE These Committees advise the Board on generic issues and are not involved in the day-to-day functions such as issuing authorisations, carrying out inspections, etc The administrative and regulatory mechanisms which are in place ensure multi-tier review by the best experts available nationwide These experts come from reputed academic institutions and governmental agencies. The AERB Secretariat has seven Divisions and one Section. (Annexure-IV). The Heads of Divisions constitute the Executive Committee which meets every month with Chairman, AERB in the chair, and takes decisions on important policy matters related to the management of the Secretariat of the Board CONTENTS SUMMARY _ SAFETY REVIEW OF NEW PROJECTS — SAFETY REVIEW OF OPERATING PLANTS UNDER DAE — Safety committees — Restrictive Actions on Plant Operations Review of Safety Related Unusual Occurrences — Regulatory Inspections — Radiological Safety Licensing of Operating Staff — Rehabilitation of Madras Atomic Power Station Units — Raising the Power Level of Fast Breeder Test Reactor — Dose Reduction to Radiation Workers — International Nuclear Event Scale — SAFETY STANDARDS AND GUIDES — REGULATORY PROCEDURES, DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION — 7 New ICRP Recommendations — 7 Safety Review of Nuclear Ship — 7 X-ray Legislation _ 7 SAFETY REVIEW COMMITTEE FOR APPLICATIONS OF RADIATION — 7 AUTHORISATION ISSUED DURING THE YEAR (nuclear power projects) — 8 AUTHORISATION ISSUED DURING THE YEAR (other projects) — 8 SAFETY REVIEW COMMITTEES/ WORKING GROUPS — 9 INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES Inter Agency Project Asian Reference Man International meetings, training courses, workshops and seminars Participation of AERB personnel in technical meetings/seminars Participation in the IAEA database on transport safety DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTER CODES AND DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Codes in the Area of Nuclear Safety Probabilistic Safety Analysis Software Development Probability distribution of the number of fuel channels Analysis of Occupational Exposures AERB SAFETY RESEARCH PROGRAMMES TRAINING COURSES, SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS AERB NEWSLETTER AND PUBLIC INFORMATION PROGRAMME PAPERS PUBLISHED OR UNDER PROCESSING ANNEXURE I — STATUTORY RESPONSIBILITIES OF AERB ANNEXURE II — BIODATA OF BOARD MEMBERS ANNEXURE III— COMMITTEES ASSISTING AERB OF AERB ANNEXURE IV — ORGANISATION STRUCTURE Summary The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has enforced radiological safety stipu'ations nationwide and requirements of radiological, nuclear and industrial safety in the units operated by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The Board held four meetings to take decisions of radiological safety significance. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) — the non-governmental exp3rt body which reviews the scientific literature on biological effects of ionizing radiation and issues recommendations — has issued its new recommendations recently. The Board has decided to implement the new ICRP recommendations in a phased manner. Appropriate Safety Directives have been issued to all institutions in this regard. AERB is the nodal agency for implementing the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) International Nuclear Events Scale. The Events classified by the operating units were scrutinised by AERB for its approval. Waste Management practices followed in different installations in the country have been reviewed Irom the view point of radiological safety and statutory requirements. Officials from AERB inspected different installa- tions operated by DAE and audited the status of radiological, nuclear and industrial safety. SARCOP has enforced safety in DAE units by imposing regulatory restrictions and by periodic monitoring of reports submitted by Health Physics Division, BARC and by the Inspection Section (Factories Act), BARC AERB inspected various Nuclear Power Plants and ensured that these plants were operated safely by performing the safety functions such as safety surveillance, qualifying (licensing) requisite stalf to man these units and acquisition and dissemination of safety information. Nuclear Power Projects under construction and commissioning were kept under close monitoring from safety view point. Based on the regulatory procedures laid down by AERB, a three tier safety review was conducted Authorisation at each significant stage was issued to Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) with required conditions considered necessary by AERB based on the safety review. The Division of Radiological Protection offered assistance to AERB in overseeing radiological protection in 3200 institutions which included industrial, medical and research establishments using radiation sources. Twenty-four authorisations and licences have been given to various installations during the year. It includes, Narora Atomic Power Station Units 1 and 2, Heavy Water Plants and other nuclear facilities including the expansion projects of the Nuclear Fuel Complex. The authorisations were given after reviews of safety reports and other related documents by Working Groups, Design Safety Groups and appropriate Advisory Committees. The licences issued were under Section 6 of the Factories Act read in conjunction with Section 23 of the Atonic Energy Act" '-i T *a four documents approved by AERB during the year include standard specifications and safety gui^ JH. Approval of Competent Persons under the Atomic Energy (Factories) Rules, has been done for different operating plants under the Indian Rare Earths Limited, Heavy Water Board, Nuciear Fuel Complex & Uranium Corporation of India Limited. AERB has extended financial support to carry out safety research projects in eight institutions. The topics cover assessment and management of environmental risks, radiobiological investigations, development of materials for dosimetry, reactor safety and radiation protection dosimetry. These projects were being carried out in universities, Radiotherapy Departments and Research institutions. AERB offered financial assistance to professional associations and Institutions to hold safety related seminars and symposia. Indian Association for Radiation Protection (IARP), the Indian Society of Earthquake Technology, the Indian Society for Radiation Physics and the Indian Aerosol Science and Technology Association and Institute of Science, Bombay have benefited by this programme. AERB has contributed to the public information programme by holding press conferences, issuing press releases and also publishing the quarterly newsletter. Mailing list of the newsletter has been expanded to include several premier scientific and academic institutions and consumer organisations nationwide. The draft version of Radiological Protection Rules was reviewed and modifications were incorporated in the light of the new ICRP recommendations 1990. Sanction has been obtained from the government for construction of new office building for AERB having approx. 4450 m2 area in Anushaktinagar. Architectural drawings have been finalised and tender notice has been published. SAFETY REVIEW OF NEW PROJECTS