Nuclear and Radiation Safety Agency

On 1 November 2001, the Republic of Tajikistan became an IAEA member and there was a necessity to establish an authority responsible for radiation safety regulation. Based on Governmental Decision 3594 (16.1-2) from 18 September 2002, initially, Atomic Energy Agency was established under the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and later based on that structure, the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Agency under the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (NRSA NAST) was established as a separate independent authority (Decree of Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan 112 from 25.12.2002) under the Academy of Sciences. In 2003, according to the RT Law "On radiation safety", the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, assigned the Nuclear and Radiation Safety Agency under the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan (NRSA NAST) as State regulatory authority on ensuring radiation safety in the country. According to article 6 of the abovementioned Law, NRSA NAST as State regulatory authority carries out single state policy, coordinates the activity of relevant authorities in the country. The main areas of NRSA's activities include: NRSA NAST establishes requirements for the application of the principles of radiation protection for all exposure situations and shall establish or adopt regulations and guides for protection and safety, which means: - for planned exposure situations, each party with responsibilities for protection and safety shall ensure, when relevant requirements apply to that party, that no practice is undertaken unless it is justified; - for emergency exposure situations and existing exposure situations, each party with responsibilities for protection and safety shall ensure, when relevant requirements apply to that party, that protective actions or remedial actions are justified and are undertaken in such a way as to achieve the objectives set out in a protection strategy; - for all exposure situations, each party with responsibilities for protection and safety shall ensure, when relevant requirements apply to that party, that protection and safety is optimized - for planned exposure situations other than for medical exposure, each party with responsibilities for protection and safety shall ensure that, when relevant requirements apply to that party, specified dose limits are not exceeded; - the application of the requirements for the system of protection and safety shall be commensurate with the radiation risks associated with the exposure situation. NRSA NASTT establishes a regulatory system for protection and safety that includes: - Notification and authorization; - Review and assessment of facilities and activities; - Inspection of facilities and activities; - Enforcement of regulatory requirements; - The regulatory functions relevant to emergency exposure situations and existing exposure situations; - Provision of information to, and consultation with, parties affected by its decisions and, as appropriate, the public and other interested parties. NRSA NAST shall adopt a graded approach to the implementation of the system of protection and safety, such that the application of regulatory requirements is commensurate with the radiation risks associated with the exposure situation. NRSA NAST shall ensure the application of the requirements for education, training, qualification and competence in the protection and safety of all persons engaged in activities relevant to protection and safety. NRSA NAST shall ensure that mechanisms are in place for the timely dissemination of information to relevant parties, such as suppliers of and users of sources, on lessons learned for protection and safety from regulatory experience and operating experience, and from incidents and accidents and the related findings. The mechanisms established shall, as appropriate, be used to provide relevant information to other relevant organizations at the national and international level. NRSA NAST, in conjunction with other relevant authorities, shall specify requirements for acceptance and for performance, by regulation or by the application of published standards, for any manufactured or constructed source, device, equipment, or facility that, when in use, has implications for protection and safety. NRSA NAST shall make provision for establishing, maintaining and retrieving adequate records relating to facilities and activities. These records shall include: - registers of sealed sources and radiation generators; - records of doses from occupational exposure; - records relating to the safety of facilities and activities; - records that might be necessary for the shutdown and decommissioning or closure of facilities; - records of events, including non-routine releases of radioactive material to the environment; - inventories of radioactive waste and of spent fuel. NRSA NAST shall establish mechanisms for communication and discussion that involve professional and constructive interactions with relevant parties for all protection and safety-related issues. NRSA NAST, in consultation with the health authority, shall ensure that provisions are in place for ensuring protection and safety in the handling of deceased persons or human remains that are known to contain sealed or unsealed radioactive sources, either as a result of radiological procedures for medical treatment of patients or as a consequence of an emergency. NRSA NAST shall establish, implement, assess and strive to continually improve a management system that is aligned with the goals of the regulatory body and that contributes to the achievement of those goals. Download detailed information about NRSA