DS553 - The Safety Case and Safety Assessment for the Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste

Status: STEP 4

Revision von GSG-3

Beteiligte IAEO-Komitees: WASSC, NUSSC, RASSC, EPReSC, NSGC

Genaral Safety Guide

Zurück zur Übersicht "In Entwicklung befindliche Safety Standards"

Background Information

GSG-3, The Safety Case and Safety Assessment for the Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste, was published in 2013.

Several Safety Standards Series publications have been revised since 2013, and new safety standards that affect the contents of GSG-3 have been published. The recommendations on the development and review of the safety case and supporting safety assessments and how to meet the safety requirements as presented in the version of GSG-3 do not incorporate the new information, approaches, and practical experiences contained in safety requirements published after 2013. Among these publications are GSR Part 1 (Rev 1), GSR Part 2, GSR Part 3, GSR Part 4 (Rev 1), GSR Part 6, and GSR Part 7. GSG-3 also need to be aligned with the other Safety Guides on predisposal management of radioactive waste published after 2013. At the 52nd WASSC meeting in October 2021, WASSC requested the Secretariat to develop a DPP to revise GSG-3. This revision will go in parallel and in full coordination with revision of GSR Part 5 (DS548) and WS-G-6.1 (DS550) and will provide recommendations in compliance with the latest requirements on predisposal waste management.

The objective of this Safety Guide is to provide recommendations on the development and review of the safety case and supporting safety assessments prepared or conducted for a predisposal waste management facility or activity both for the case where it’s a standalone facility or activity and where it’s a part of another facility, such as a nuclear power plant, research reactor or critical assembly, other nuclear installation or activity resulting in generating or predisposal management of radioactive waste. It is applicable for all types of radioactive waste, spent fuel and disused sealed radiation sources.

Facilities or activities that deal with radioactive material might have impacts of both a radiological and non-radiological nature, but the focus of this Safety Guide is on the radiological impacts. However, the radiological consequences of non-radiological events or hazards, such as fire, are addressed. Furthermore, although the assessment of non-radiological hazards is outside the scope of this Safety Guide, it is important that due consideration be given to such hazards, as required in national legislation.

The proposed publication will:

• provide coherent recommendations for complying with the requirements for the safe predisposal management of radioactive waste based on the latest revisions of other IAEA safety standards in this area and operational experience;
• elaborate more on the elements and application of a graded approach in the development and review of the safety case and supporting safety assessment for all predisposal radioactive waste management facilities and activities;
• consider the link between the safety assessment for predisposal waste management facilities and the safety analysis for the power reactors or other nuclear facilities at the single site;
• update the superseded references in GSG-3 with new publications to ensure consistency and provide up-to-date information.

The proposed publication will incorporate recommendations on addressing the requirements for preparedness and response to a nuclear or radiological emergency taking into account due consideration of differences between the safety case and supporting safety assessments with regards to emergency preparedness and response. The differences and complementarity of both approaches will be enhanced consistently with corresponding standards (GSR part 4 and GSR part 7).