Safety Assesment of Nuclear Installations. Principles and Practices

This article presents the safety assessment principles used for nuclear facilities and the corresponding practices adopted in France. It states the responsibilities of the public authorities and the operators and discusses the acceptability concept, in relation with the publications of the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the work of international organizations. It outlines the fundamental role of the defense-in-depth approach, supported by probabilistic safety studies and operating experience. It highlights the importance of organizational and human factors in this context. Lastly it briefly addresses the developments that have occurred since the beginning of the 21st century, especially after the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.