Status Report on the Development of the Historical Technical Basis Document for the Requirements of the International Transport Safety Regulations

At PATRAM 2013, papers were presented outlining the efforts underway at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to develop a comprehensive and detailed technical basis document (TecBasDoc) to support the current and future revisions of the IAEA Transport Safety Regulations. The motivation for the development of the TecBasDoc is that, with the passage of time, the scientific and technical heritage of several decades of development in transport safety regulation has begun to fade; i.e. the “corporate memory” is being lost. It was therefore recognized that there was a need to capture and preserve valuable knowledge for future reference in reviewing and – as needed – revising the IAEA Transport Safety Regulations, and in assisting in the application of those Regulations worldwide. Indeed, such knowledge could prove invaluable to the international transport safety community as the “Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material” undergo review and revision in the future.It was recognized that the past and current regular review and – as needed – revision of the Regulations has been driven by problems, challenges, and the demand for improvements; as well as by the need to take into account experiences in transport, newly identified issues, new technologies, best practices, the demand for sustainable transport, and harmonization. Furthermore, every requirement in the regulations has been developed based on deliberations amongst international experts and discussions of an appropriate technical basis. One goal of the IAEA’s TecBasDoc effort is to provide easier access to the existing technical bases for the Regulations while concurrently facilitating a more comprehensive understanding and appropriate application of the Regulations. The TecBasDoc effort is viewed as an effort to transfer knowledge between generations that can contribute, in future decades, to the further development of, and innovations in, transport safety, while also streamlining the regulatory review and revision process and avoiding needlessly revisiting the same issues and discussions.Significant progress has been made on the TecBasDoc since the report delivered at PATRAM 2013. The draft TecBasDoc is still not completed. In fact, it is viewed as a living and maturing document and will continue to be so for the ensuing future. This paper provides an overview of international-level efforts that began in 2010, and outline of the current status of that effort.