Basic safety standards directive

EU legislation in the field of nuclear safety

The EU also supports nuclear safety and the protection of the public through legislation contained in a series of Directives. Across the EU, the Basic Safety Standards Directive sets out standards for radiation protection in the Member States. The overall objective of radiation protection is to protect workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation, resulting from practices using radiation or radioactive substances, including the nuclear fuel cycle. The Directive sets limits on the maximum radiation dose that anyone should receive under normal conditions. These limits are based on international studies on the effects of radiation and are set at levels to minimise harmful effects. In addition to keeping doses below these limits, nuclear facilities and radioactive-waste sites must work to keep any radiation doses received by the public and its workers as low as reasonably achievable.
The Basic Safety Standards Directive is supplemented by five other specific Directives dealing with the following:

• Medical Exposures: This Directive sets out the general principles of the health protection of people against the dangers of ionising radiation from medical exposures – for example in radiotherapy.
• Public Information: This Directive sets out requirements for informing the general public about health protection measures to be applied and steps to be taken in the event of a radiological emergency.
• Outside workers: This Directive covers the operational protection of outside workers exposed to the risk of ionising radiation. For example the employees of an independent builder undertaking work on the site of a nuclear installation.
• Shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel: This Directive covers shipments of radioactive waste and spent fuel. The EU operates a system of prior authorisation for all shipments of radioactive waste in order to provide greater radiation protection.
• Control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources: This Directive aims to prevent exposure to ionising radiation arising from inadequate control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and to harmonise controls in the EU Member States.