Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency

Outline of a nuclear power plant
(material courtesy of Toshiba)

Many people may have heard of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency in the context of nuclear power issues.
The Agency deals with both nuclear energy safety and industrial safety. In the nuclear safety field, it oversees safety regulations and emergency preparedness measures for nuclear power plants as well as refining, reprocessing and waste management/disposal facilities. In the industrial safety field, it supervises safety measures for electricity, gas, heat supply, gunpowder, high-pressure gas, petrochemical complexes, liquid petroleum gas and mining.
The Agency was established as an independent organization in charge of nuclear power safety and industrial safety administration, and has its own clear mission and responsibilities. By sharing its own experience in various fields, the agency aims to apply this to safety administration.

>	Safety Regulations and Emergency Preparedness for Nuclear Power (Responsibilities given to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency)

Inspection in progress

In order to prevent nuclear accidents and other problems, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency establishes technical standards for structures, materials and performance of nuclear facilities. The Agency secures continued nuclear safety through the following procedures: examining whether equipment and structures are sufficient to prevent nuclear accidents (safety examination), confirming construction is carried out as planned (construction plan authorization and pre-service inspection), examining nuclear business operators' safety management methods (Safety Preservation Rules), periodical inspection of facilities, and inspection of compliance with safety regulations.

Inspection in progress

However, no one can deny the possibility of an accident occurring, even if we adhere to safety regulations every day. Therefore, we have to prepare for accidents by considering the unique nature of nuclear emergencies. It is necessary to establish thorough emergency preparedness, such as developing a basic plan for emergency preparedness which averts incidents before they occur or contains them, as well as training to ensure quick and adequate action in an emergency. The Agency also prepares practical measures for accidents such as off-site centers (emergency response facilities situated at a certain distance from nuclear facilities) that can act as headquarters for responses should an accident occur.

>	Strengthening the front line of nuclear safety regulations and emergency preparedness (Nuclear Safety Inspectors and Senior Specialists for Nuclear Emergency)

Nuclear Power Plant

To boost the effectiveness of nuclear safety regulations and disaster countermeasures, it is important to focus on nuclear power facilities as the regulatory axis.
Around 100 personnel* work on-site in the highly charged atmosphere of front-line safety regulation and emergency preparedness. These include nuclear safety inspectors, who have been appointed to monitor operation management and investigate compliance with safety regulations on-site, and Senior Specialists for Nuclear Emergency, who are responsible for preventing the occurrence of nuclear disasters and, if accidents do occur, containing them. (*as of March 1, 2004)

>	Future Requirements for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency

From the lessons of issues concerning nuclear power, we have learned the need to further strengthen legislative systems, to be accountable as a government by securing transparency of safety management in nuclear facilities, and to provide opportunities for exchange of opinions and explanations to the public, especially local communities. We also need to make efforts to explain the issues in easy-to-understand terms, based on scientific and technical grounds. To offer confident explanations to all layers of society in our role as the regulatory authority, we should not be restricted to only the efforts and methods used so far, but recognize that the government sometimes needs to use drastic methods to confront the issues head-on. There is also a need to design systems which are practical and rational, and understand the realities of nuclear energy sites.

>	Another aspect of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency

Petrochemical complex

To ensure the stable supply of resources and energy on which a secure lifestyle and the continued stable development of industrial activities depends, accidents need to be prevented not only in nuclear facilities but in all industrial facilities, garnering public trust. To meet this need, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency is also steadily implementing industrial safety measures for electricity, gas, high-pressure gas, LPG, gunpowder and mines, endeavoring to gain greater confidence from the public. In addition, private sector businesses have also been improving their safety performance in recent years. The Agency is responding by promoting regulatory rationalization, for example, encouraging private sector entry into third-party conformance inspections and building in-house conformance inspection and voluntary safety mechanisms.