Occupational Exposures at Nuclear Power Plants: Twenty-Eighth Annual Report of the ISOE Programme, 2018
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Radiological Protection 2021 Occupational Exposures Occupational Exposures at Nuclear Power Plants Occupational Exposures at Nuclear Power at Nuclear Power Plants Twenty-Eighth Annual Report of the ISOE Programme, 2018 NEA Radiological Protection Occupational Exposures at Nuclear Power Plants Twenty-Eighth Annual Report of the ISOE Programme, 2018 © OECD 2021 NEA No. 7536 NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 37 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the member countries of the OECD or its Nuclear Energy Agency. NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was established on 1 February 1958. Current NEA membership consists of 34 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency also take part in the work of the Agency. The mission of the NEA is: – to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co- operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally sound and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes; – to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD analyses in areas such as energy and the sustainable development of low-carbon economies. Specific areas of competence of the NEA include the safety and regulation of nuclear activities, radioactive waste management and decommissioning, radiological protection, nuclear science, economic and technical analyses of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear law and liability, and public information. The NEA Data Bank provides nuclear data and computer program services for participating countries. This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found online at: www.oecd.org/about/publishing/corrigenda.htm. © OECD 2021 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgement of the OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) [email protected]. Cover photos: Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant (GFDL); Maintenance work at a nuclear power plant (NEI, United States). FOREWORD Foreword Throughout the world, occupational exposure at nuclear power plants has steadily decreased since the early 1990s. Contributing to this downward trend are regulatory pressures, technological advances, improved plant designs and operational procedures, as well as the “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA) culture and exchanges of experience. However, with the continued ageing and life extensions of nuclear power plants worldwide, ongoing economic pressures, regulatory, social and political evolutions, along with the potential of new nuclear build, the task of ensuring that occupational exposures are as low as reasonably achievable continues to present challenges to radiological protection professionals, in particular when taking into account operational costs and social factors. Since 1992, the Information System on Occupational Exposure (ISOE), jointly sponsored by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has provided a forum for radiological protection professionals from nuclear power utilities and national regulatory authorities worldwide to discuss, promote and co-ordinate international co- operative undertakings for the radiological protection of workers at nuclear power plants. The objective of the ISOE is to improve the management of occupational exposures at nuclear power plants by exchanging broad and regularly updated information, data and experience on methods to optimise occupational radiological protection. As a technical exchange initiative, the ISOE Programme includes a global occupational exposure data collection and analysis programme, culminating in the world’s largest occupational exposure database for nuclear power plants, and an information network for sharing dose-reduction information and experience. Since its launch, ISOE participants have used this system of databases and communications networks to exchange occupational exposure data and information for dose trend analyses, technique comparisons, and cost- benefit and other analyses promoting the application of the ALARA principle in local radiological protection programmes. The Twenty-Eighth Annual Report of the ISOE Programme presents the status of the ISOE Programme for the calendar year 2018. TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ISOE PROGRAMME, 2018, NEA No.7536, © OECD 2021 3 “... the exchange and analysis of information and data on ALARA experience, dose-reduction techniques, and individual and collective radiation doses to the personnel of nuclear installations and to the employees of contractors are essential to implement effective dose management programmes and to apply the ALARA principle.” (ISOE Terms and Conditions, 2016-2019). TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents List of abbreviations and acronyms ............................................................................................9 Executive summary ......................................................................................................................11 1. Status of participation in the Information System on Occupational Exposure (ISOE) .........................................................................................................................................13 2. Occupational exposure trends .............................................................................................17 2.1 Occupational exposure trends: Operating reactors ...................................................17 2.2 Occupational exposure trends: Permanently shut down reactors ..........................27 3. Principal events in participating countries .......................................................................33 Armenia ....................................................................................................................................34 Belgium .....................................................................................................................................36 Brazil .........................................................................................................................................38 Bulgaria .....................................................................................................................................39 Canada ......................................................................................................................................41 China .........................................................................................................................................45 Czech Republic ........................................................................................................................46 Finland ......................................................................................................................................47