IAEA Guidance on Managing the Interface between Safety and Security for Normal Commercial Shipment of Radioactive Material

Regulations governing the safe transport of radioactive material have been developed and maintained at the international and national levels for more than six decades. Following the events of 9/11, a similar effort was initiated for security during the transport of radioactive material; however, safety and security provisions have generally been developed independent of each other. As part of an international effort to address the provisions that complement or conflict with each other in the interface between safety and security during transport, the International Atomic Energy Agency convened a series of consultancy meetings beginning in October 2016, to initiate work on (a) identifying the needs and developing a plan to address those needs for the transport of low-activity radioactive material (defined for the purposes of this effort as “Normal Commercial Shipments”) with respect to the interface between transport safety and transport security, (b) developing guidance on the interface between transport safety and transport security, and (c) developing a model workshop that will inform IAEA Member States of the interface between transport safety and security.Specifically, the materials addressed in the TECDOC are those that are limited to Category 3 to 5 Radioactive Sources, as well as other low activity radioactive material (including nuclear materials) below 3000 A2 - as defined in the IAEA Safety Standard - Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (SSR-6 Rev. 1) - or below 10D - as defined in the Code of Conduct - depending on the radionuclide(s) involved. Emphasis was placed in the TECDOC on these materials since, worldwide, little effort has focused on security for their transport and such guidance could prove very beneficial to regulators and operators in many developing countries. An IAEA TECDOC has been drafted and is currently undergoing final steps for publication. This TECDOC addresses the issues identified during the consultants’ meetings, with a focus on the needs and methods for clarifying safety/security interfaces. This paper will introduce the structure and contents of the TECDOC and provide an update on its progress toward publication. A separate paper will outline the workshop materials developed to date.