ATOMIC ENERGY COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2014/2015 To regulate peaceful applications of ionizing radiation in Uganda for the protection and safety of the public and the environment from the dangers resulting from ionizing radiation FOREWARD The Atomic Energy Council was established by the Atomic Energy Act No. 24 of 2008, Laws of Uganda, to regulate the peaceful applications of ionizing radiation in the country. The Council consists of a policy organ with five Council members headed by the Chairperson and a full time Secretariat headed by the Secretary. The Council members are appointed by the Minister. During the reporting period, the Council extended its services to various parts of the country ranging from registering facilities that use radiation sources, authorizing of operators, monitoring occupational workers, carrying out inspections of facilities among others. The Council made achievements which include developing safety guides for medical and industrial practices, establishing systems of notifications, authorizations, inspections and enforcement, establishing national and international collaborations with other regulatory bodies and acquisition of some equipment among others. The Council also participated in the IAEA General Conference. Among other challenges, funding was the major constraint to the implementation of the Act and the regulations by the Council. This was coupled with inadequate equipment and insufficient number of staff. The Council will focus on institutional development, establishing partnerships and collaborations and safety and security of radioactive sources in the FY 2015/2016. The Council would like to thank the government and in particular the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), the International Atomic Energy Agency, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other organizations and persons who have helped Council in executing its mandate. Akisophel Kisolo, PhD CHAIRMAN, ATOMIC ENERGY COUNCIL i TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE FOREWARD ........................................................................................................................................... i LIST OF ACRONYMS .......................................................................................................................... v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... vi 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Mandate............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Vision ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.3 Mission .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.4 Governance ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.4.1The Council ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.4.2 Council Committees ................................................................................................................... 2 1.4.3 Organisational Structure ............................................................................................................ 2 14.4 Strategic plan .............................................................................................................................. 4 1.4.5 Functions of the AEC ................................................................................................................. 5 2.0 REGULATORY FUNCTIONS ........................................................................................................ 6 2.1 Inspections ........................................................................................................................................ 6 2.1.1 Radiation Safety Compliance..................................................................................................... 6 2.1.2 Objectives of inspections ........................................................................................................... 9 2.1.3 Summary of findings .................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Licensing of Practices and Sources ................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Occupational Exposure Monitoring of Radiation Workers ............................................................ 12 2.4 Radiological Emergency Preparedness and Response Committee ................................................. 13 2.5 Development of Regulations and Safety Guides ............................................................................ 14 2.6 Communication and Consultation with the Public and Interested Parties ...................................... 15 2.6.2 Print Media............................................................................................................................... 16 2.6.3 National Liberation Day Cerebrations ..................................................................................... 16 7.4 International Women’s Day ............................................................................................................ 16 2.6.4 International Women’s day ...................................................................................................... 16 2.6.5 Radio & TV Talk Shows .......................................................................................................... 17 2.7 Quality Assessment for Inspections Conducted .............................................................................. 18 2.7 Registration of Facilities and Sources ............................................................................................. 19 3.0 CAPACITY BUILDING ................................................................................................................ 19 3.1 Human Resources ........................................................................................................................... 19 3.2 Staff Recruitment ............................................................................................................................ 19 3.3 Staff training ................................................................................................................................... 20 3.3.1 Long term training: .................................................................................................................. 21 ii 3.3.2 Short term training: .................................................................................................................. 21 4.0 INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION AND COLLABORATIONS ........................................... 22 4.1 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ................................................................................ 23 4.1.1 Country and Regional Projects ......................................................................................... 23 4.1.2 Expert Missions ....................................................................................................................... 23 4.1.3 General Conference ................................................................................................................. 26 4.2 United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission-USNRC ............................................................... 26 5.0 FINANCES ..................................................................................................................................... 27 5.1 Summary of planned outputs for the FY 2014/2015 ....................................................................... 28 6.0 PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR THE FY 2015/2016 ..................................................................... 29 7.0 CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD ..................................................................................... 30 8.0 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 30 Appendix 1: COUNCIL MEMBERS ................................................................................................... 31 Appendix 2: POSITIONS IN THE AEC ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE .................................. 32 Appendix 3: ATOMIC ENERGY COUNCIL SECRETARIAT STAFF ............................................. 34 Appendix 4: CATEGORIZATION OF SOURCES .............................................................................. 36 Appendix 5: INSPECTED FACILITIES .............................................................................................. 38 Appendix 6: FACILITIES ISSUED WITH TLDS & MONITORED .................................................. 44 Appendix 7: REGISTERED FACILITIES & SOURCES .................................................................... 46 Appendix 8: FACILITIES THAT SUBMITTED APPLICATION AND NOTIFICATION FORMS. 50 Appendix 9: LICENSES AND PERMITS ISSUED OUT. .................................................................. 52 Appendix 10: FACILITIES WITH VALID LICENSES AS AT JUNE 30, 2015 ...............................