Transcript RER/9/096 Regional Planning Meeting “Strengthening National Infrastructures for the Control of Radiation Sources” (TSA-1), (Phase II) Country: Azerbaijan Siyavush Azakov Nuclear and Radiological Activity Regulations State Agency.

RER/9/096 Regional Planning Meeting
“Strengthening National Infrastructures for the
Control of Radiation Sources”
(TSA-1), (Phase II)
Country: Azerbaijan
Siyavush Azakov
Nuclear and Radiological Activity Regulations State
Agency of the Azerbaijan Republic
19-20 March 2009, IAEA, Vienna
Legislation, Regulations and Guidance
occupational protection, public protection, medical exposure, radioactive waste,
and the transport of radioactive materials.

The legal and statutory framework in the field
of radiation safety of the Republic of
Azerbaijan i.e. laws, Presidential and Cabinet
of Minister’s Decrees supplemented by
regulations, standards, resolutions, provisions,
norms, orders, guidance and other normative
documents cover, in general, most of the
essential elements and concepts of the
regulatory regime. However there are still
some inconsistencies to meet completely the
IAEA Standards in previously issued norms
and documents.
The Regulatory Body

The present legislation system in Azerbaijan empowers 3
regulatory authorities to use the responsibilities as given to
them by the government.
 Industrial Safety and Mining Supervision State Agency
under the Ministry of Emergency Situations
(GOSGORTECHNADZOR) is, according to the Law of the
Republic of Azerbaijan “On radiation safety of population” is
the regulatory body responsible for independent state safety
supervision of transport, storage and use of radioactive
materials and sources of ionising radiation as well as for all
kind of activities in the area of nuclear safety in the country.
 Republican Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology under
the Ministry of Health (RCHE) is, according to the same Law,
the responsible regulatory body for sanitary inspection and the
regulatory control of ionizing radiation, sources and radiation
installations in the country, including issue of Sanitary
Passports.
The Regulatory Body

Ministry for Ecology and Natural Resources has
responsibility for developing and managing environmental
protection programmes. The ministry has introduced a
number of laws and regulations to safeguard Azerbaijan’s
natural resources. In addition, a National Monitoring
Service has been established that is responsible for
monitoring of whole environment in Azerbaijan including
radiation monitoring in water, air and on land.
 Nevertheless, the functions and responsibilities of these
regulatory authorities are not clearly enough defined and
currently there is a range of overlap and duplication in
responsibilities of regulatory authorities in the authorization
and inspection system for the use of ionising radiation
sources and this system, as a whole, is not fully
independent and its effectiveness could be clearly
improved .
Regulatory Body Staffing and Training

There are an insufficient number of qualified
persons in all regulatory authorities to cover
the responsibilities given to them by the
government. The budgets of the 3 regulatory
authorities are inadequate to their needs,
functions and capabilities. This can
significantly influence the capability of the
authorities to fulfil their functions and
responsibilities.
Notification - Authorization – Licensing Inspections

The system of authorization, inspection and
enforcement functions is fragmented and in
some extent, duplicated among three
regulatory authorities. As a result, the
regulatory control of radiation sources at the
national level is not adequately effective and a
centralized and complete inventory of sources
is not completed.
 The occupational and medical radiation
exposure control is insufficient and appears to
be not fully in compliance with the national
requirements.
Management System

Information dissemination
Public information system to inform the public,
through its representatives and the media,
about the radiation safety aspects of regulated
practices, intervention situations and the
regulatory process does not exist in the
country.
 Quality Management
There are still no quality assurance and quality
control systems for the existing regulatory
authorities
The new Agency

On 24 April 2008 the President of Azerbaijan signed a
decree on creation of an independent regulatory authority,
Nuclear and Radiological Activity Regulations State
Agency, under the Ministry of Emergency Situations
(MES), which gives the regulatory function in considerable
extent to the sole body.
 The practical implementation of the Agency is still in
process. A few days ago its Statute was approved by the
President of Azerbaijan and its structures was approved by
the Minister of Emergency Situations but legislation of the
Republic of Azerbaijan requires keeping the work under the
old system until the newly created authority is operational
and takes over its duties.
 The Statute of the Agency in significant extent reflects BSS
requirements.
The new Agency (continued)


The Agency has separate budget line in the MES year
2009 budget. The legislation of the Republic of
Azerbaijan does not allow moving funds from
approved budget line of one Department to another.
This means that the financial independency of the
Agency will be keeping.
As it follows from the Agency’s Statute the main
source of its financing is state budget but we hope that
the Agency will be supported also by foreign partners
and international organizations. In future the Agency
will also earn funds for providing services.
The new Agency structure
The new Agency (continued)
 At present the new staffs of the Agency are hired

and in the nearest future 19 persons will be working in
it. These are specialists who previously worked at
Institute of Radiation Problems of Azerbaijan National
Academy of Sciences and Republic Centre for
Hygiene and Epidemiology, etc.
Among them 6 are physicists, 4 – physicians of
radiation hygiene, 4- engineers, 3- lawyers, 2 -others.
Majority of them participated in trainings organized by
IAEA and NRC of the USA in previous years.
The new Agency (continued)

We hope that to the end of 2009 the
number of employees of the Agency will
grow up to 40. The average age of the
Agency employees at present is 35. The
agency has its own staffing policy
independent from the Ministry of
Emergency Situation.
Plans


The new Agency, as a single effectively independent
regulatory body, will carry out its established
regulatory responsibilities for all practices and
activities, including medical facilities and predisposal
and disposal of radioactive wastes.
The existing legislation and regulations will be
analysed and reviewed in order to complete and
ensure sufficient stability for the legislative framework.
This should contribute to clarify univocally the
responsibilities, to avoid current and potential
overlaps, duplications and misinterpretations, to
improve the effectiveness of the system and to make it
more consistent with international standards.
Plans



The Agency will upgrade and maintain on an urgent
basis a complete inventory of radiation sources.
A national programme for radiation medical
exposure control will be implemented gradually. This
could launch through a specialized appraisal in this
area to be provided by IAEA.
Training plans for specialization and training of staff
members of the Agency and other relevant institutions
will be elaborated. National training courses on
Radiation Safety will be arranged with the assistance
of IAEA.
Plans



The most recent IAEA and other international
recommendations for practices and administrative
arrangements related to licensing and inspections will
be included into the training plans.
The Agency will prepare an annual funding plan to
cover its anticipated needs.
We hope that the Government and the MES will
provide the Agency with adequate financial and other
resources (for staffing, staff training, buildings,
facilities, equipment for inspection, use of consultants,
licensing and inspection activities) to discharge its
responsibilities and maintain its independence.
Plans

Since quality management is one of the
activities of the regulatory authority, it will be
taken into account and being implemented by
the new Agency
 There is an operational Public Relation
Department in the Ministry of Emergency
Situations, but it is planned that the Agency
will be independent ensured by having its own
independent public information system in
place.
Thank you for your attention