Editorial note

The Convention on Nuclear Safety was adopted under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Convention has three objectives: to achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety worldwide; to establish and maintain effective defences in nuclear installations against potential radiological hazards to protect individuals, society and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation; and to prevent accidents with radiological consequences and to mitigate such consequences should they occur (Article 1). Parties are required to establish a national regulatory body and to establish and maintain a legislative and regulatory framework to govern the safety of nuclear installations, providing inter alia for the establishment of applicable national safety requirements and regulations, a system of licensing, a system of regulatory inspection and assessment, and the enforcement of applicable regulations and of the terms of licences, including suspension, modification or revocation (Articles 7 and 8). Parties must give effect to ‘general safety considerations’ by prioritising safety, and must ensure adequate financial and human resources; implement quality assurance programmes; carry out comprehensive and systematic safety assessment; ensure that radiation exposure to workers and the public is kept as low as reasonably achievable (and that no individual shall be exposed to radiation doses which exceed prescribed national dose limits); and establish on-site and off-site emergency preparedness plans (Articles 10–16).