Several countries around the world are building new nuclear power reactors. Is there some system to ensure that they all live up to a common, satisfactory level of safety?
A5. Short Answer: Yes, a global safety regime has been instituted by the international community after the accident at Chernobyl to promote a common level of safety throughout the world. This “regime” includes binding safety conventions, internationally accepted safety standards, and a peer review system to promote compliance and assist countries in improving safety whenever necessary. Read more… Explanation: Nuclear safety has been always a matter of international concern. In the early 1970s, the IAEA developed a series of 5 Codes of Practice and 50 Safety Guides which were applied and/or adapted as regulation by developing countries entering into the nuclear power arena. Later, after the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979, the 5 Codes were revised as a set of international standards for all countries. But it was after the accident at Chernobyl that a truly “international nuclear safety regime” was fully developed. This “regime” is based on: 1. Binding international conventions; 2.
