ISOE, Information System on Occupational Exposures

Founded in 1992 by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the OECD and co-sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 1993, ISOE is an international network of nuclear power plants operators and national radiation protection authorities. Its objective is to improve the management of occupational exposure at nuclear power plants. The network provides its participants with:

• A global database on occupational exposure from nuclear power stations;
• A network of radiation protection professionals from nuclear power stations and national regulatory authorities;
• Places where people can share their experiences, such as specific working groups, symposia or online discussion fora;
• Publications aimed at promoting the optimisation of radiation protection.

The CEPN is the Technical Centre for the ISOE system for all European countries that are members of the NEA. The CEPN collects data on occupational exposure at European nuclear power plants, manages the global database and the ISOE website, produces analyses and organises a symposium every two years.

The CEPN coordinates, in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the European ALARA Network (EAN) which was created in 1996 to promote the ALARA principle in the management of occupational and public exposure.

The network is run by a group of experts from twenty countries representing radiation protection authorities, research organisations and operators in the nuclear industry across Europe.

The network is conducted by a group of twenty experts who represent the European radiation protection authorities, research organizations and nuclear industrial operators.

The objective is to share experience and produce recommendations regarding the practical application of radiation protection optimization in all the exposure situations of both workers and public. The CEPN coordinates the network.

To achieve these objectives, the EAN network organises a workshop every 18 months on a topic of interest to its members. It has also established channels for disseminating information by producing a biannual newsletter (‘ALARA Newsletter’) and maintaining a website.

Created in 2010, the NERIS Platform gathers about sixties organizations, all involved is the preparation and management of nuclear and radiological accidental situations. Its mission is to conduct a dialog forum and to favour methodological developments in this particular field. The CEPN is in charge of the platform’s technical secretariat and leads some working groups.

The objectives of the Platform are to contribute to:

• Improving the effectiveness of current European, national and local approaches for preparedness concerning nuclear or radiological emergency response and recovery.
• Promoting more coherent approaches throughout Europe.
• Identifying gaps and needs for further developments and addressing new challenges in this field.

Maintaining and improving know-how and technical expertise in preparedness for nuclear or radiological emergency response and recovery among all interested stakeholders in Europe.

RELIR, Feedback Experience on Radiological Incidents

The CEPN and the French Society of Radiation Protection (SFRP) initiated the RELIR system in 2001. Its objective is to gather and make available events analysis relevant to the training of workers and prevention. The CEPN coordinates the network.

Since September 2007, CEPN is helping to organise the ‘Radiological Protection Workshops‘ with students of French and European schools, jointly with the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR), the French Society of Radiation Protection (SFRP) and the Sciences Pavilion of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The aim of these workshops is to develop a practical culture radiation protection at school by involving students in multidisciplinary activities.

The workshops are driven by secondary school teachers in partnership with radiation protection experts, academics and researchers. The topics covered in these workshops are diverse: scientific and technical principles of radiation protection, management of radon exposure in houses, occupational exposure in the nuclear facilities, patient exposure in hospitals, monitoring of radioactivity in the environment, post-accident management and waste management. The workshops are organized throughout the school year and include theoretical sessions provided by teachers, supplemented by contributions from radiological protection experts, and practical sessions involving hands-on work with measuring devices, visits to technical installations, and conducting of experiments.

Every year, an international high school workshop is organized in the spring to give students the opportunity to present their work and exchange ideas with other students and radiation protection professionals.

The CEPN is a member of the regional “Éclaireurs” Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)-Radon network, which works to inform, raise awareness and support the public and local stakeholders on issues relating to Indoor Air Quality.

The network’s objectives:

• To create synergies between Indoor Air Quality and Radon stakeholders, and to coordinate, organise and develop regional initiatives.
• To share information through various channels, including a Franco-Swiss resource platform, Batisph’air.
• Facilitate the development and implementation of Indoor Air Quality and Radon initiatives in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region: identify initiatives, promote them, build on their success, and potentially encourage their wider adoption through the sharing of experiences, in particular in conjunction with the Regional Health and Environment Plan (PRSE 4) and the National Radon Action Plan (PAR 4)

The Franco-Swiss resource platform Batisph’air is available online. It provides access to information tailored to each audience (the general public, professionals and local authorities) and to a self-assessment tool for buildings regarding radon.