Speaker
Description
The Italian regulatory framework for the transport of radioactive material is complex because multiple authorities have safety responsibilities within the safety regulatory framework, and in some cases the responsibilities and functions of each authority are not clearly specified in the relevant legislation. ISIN – National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection is the main Italian authority responsible for nuclear safety and radiation protection and for the safe transport of radioactive material.
Furthermore, the Italian regulatory framework introduces a number of additional requirements to the transport of radioactive material.
In order to address these issues, which at international level can cause delays and denials in the shipment (DoS) of radioactive materials, and possibly to resolve them, in October 2024 ISIN invited all interested parties to join the national committee on the facilitation of safe and secure transport of radioactive material (FATRAM), which will be the national network whose main objective is to overcome the critical issues related to DoS and national regulatory complexity.
ISIN’s initiative is based on the IAEA safety requirements: GSR Part 1 (Rev. 1) Requirement 7, SSR-6 (Rev. 1) para 307 and SSG-78 (Rev. 1) para 4.1.
The main objectives of the committee are:
planning and coordination for the prevention and tackling of DoS instances, supporting all interested parties
supporting the NFP to comply with his objectives to share knowledge on DoS and to prevent DoS by proposing solutions and collecting data about existing situations.
The Committee covers two main areas of action: A) Responsibilities mapping and simplification and harmonisation of the regulatory framework and B) Training, communication and information.
The Committee's activities are divided into four sub-groups, two for each of the Committee's areas of action and each sub-group is coordinated by a chair and a co-chair. Some activities are cross-cutting and involve all Committee participants.
The A.1 Subgroup objectives are:
to map the responsibilities in the transport of radioactive material framework;
to draft a document that collects the requirements and related procedures to be followed for transporting radioactive material in Italy and identifies any regulatory obstacles or discrepancies between national and international legislation in relation to the various modes of transport;
to map ports that accept class 7 materials and the procedures to be followed in relation to specific activities (loading, unloading, transit, etc.).
The A.2 Subgroup objectives are:
the assessment and proposals for the simplification and harmonisation of the applicable requirements;
launch of consultations with all relevant public and private stakeholders to propose regulatory measures aimed at implementing specific application procedures for the authorisation of transport practices.
The B.1 Subgroup objectives are:
training for public administrations and private companies (e.g. ground handling companies at ports and airports);
organisation of exercises based on real cases to ensure adequate preparation of the parties involved.
The B.2 Subgroup objectives are:
creation of websites and social media profiles dedicated to the Committee activities;
preparation of informative brochures on the importance of transporting radioactive material.
The Committee work will be essential to prepare proposals for possible interventions, including regulatory and normative ones, to reduce cases of DoS and to provide the IAEA with shared data and observations, with the aim of aligning the transport of radioactive material with the most recent international standards.
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