Potential risks, residual risks, acceptable risks

For a given facility, a clear distinction must first be made between potential and residual risks. Potential radiological risks are associated with the nature and quantities of radioactive substances present in the facility, and with the energies capable of dispersing them within the facility or into the environment. Residual radiological risks are those that remain after taking into account the technical and organizational measures taken to ensure nuclear safety (in its broadest sense).

The residual radiological risks associated with a basic nuclear facility cannot be strictly zero, and it is the acceptability of these risks that the public authorities must assess before issuing the necessary authorizations for its operation. On a technical level, this assessment can only be made by taking into account both the more or less likely nature and the more or less serious...