Joint session of the

42nd Meeting of the Radiation Safety Standards Committee

43rd Meeting of the Waste Safety Standards Committee 13 June 2017

Agenda Item: RW6.4 DS475

Draft Safety Guide: Arrangements for Public Communication in

Preparedness and Response to a Nuclear or Radiological

Emergency

Lisa Berthelot

IAEA, Incident and Emergency Centre

Background

• Safety Requirements No. GSR Part 7

– Requirement 13: • Communicating with the public throughout

a nuclear or radiological emergency

– Requirement 10: • Providing instructions, warnings, and relevant

information to the public for emergency preparedness and response

• Safety Requirements No. GSR Part 3

– Requirement 43: • An emergency management system providing for

essential elements at the scene, and at the local, national and international level, as appropriate, including providing reliable communication, including public information

Background (cont.)

• Safety Guide DS475 is intended to:

– Provide guidance for meeting the relevant Requirements of GSR Part 7 and

of GSR Part 3

– Provide guidance and recommendations on developing arrangements at the

preparedness stage, for communicating with the public and media and for

coordinating with all sources of official information in the preparedness and

response to a nuclear or radiological emergency

• With the objectives to:

– Protect the public

– Inform the public about the hazards, protective actions and other response

actions

– Build and maintain public trust

– Address public concerns regarding potential health effects

– Prevent panic and help ensure actions taken do more good than harm

– Minimize rumours and respond to misinformation

– Enable interested parties to make informed decisions

Background (cont.)

• Step 2: DPP Approval by CC

– 28 March 2013

• Step 3: DPP Approval by

Committees

– NSGC: 17 May 2013

– TRANSSC: 17 June 2013

– NUSSC: 28 June 2013

– RASSC/WASSC: 4 July 2013

• Step 4: DPP Approval by CSS

– 6 November 2013

• Step 5: Preparing the draft

– CS #1: 3-7 February 2014

– CS #2: 5-9 May 2014

– CS #3: 6-10 October 2014

– CS #4: 18-22 April 2016

– CS #5: 23-27 May 2016

– CS #6: 18-22 July 2016

– TM: 5-9 September 2016

– IACRNE Comments: Nov-Dec 2016

• Step 6: Draft approval by CC

– 10 April 2017

• Step 7: Draft approval by Committees

– EPReSC: 7 June 2017

Scope

• Audience: those responsible for

communicating with the public and media in a

radiation emergency within all organizations

involved in EPR at facility, local, national and

international levels, including those without a

daily communication function

Scope (cont.)

• Applicable to: – Full range of nuclear and radiological emergencies,

regardless of cause, including those due to a perceived hazard and with specific consideration for accident/human/technical error, natural disasters, and nuclear security events, and transition phase particularities

• Not applicable to: – Involvement of interested parties in the planning of

new NPPs or to ongoing interested parties involvement for existing facilities

– Communication about an existing exposure situation after the emergency is declared ended

Scope (cont.)

• Interface with other documents

Proposed Structure

1. INTRODUCTION

2. BASIC CONSIDERATIONS

Objectives of Public Communication

Principles of Public Communication

Challenges of Public Communication

3. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION ARRANGEMENTS IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

4. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION ARRANGEMENTS IN EMERGENCY RESPONSE

5. ARRANGEMENTS FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION UNDER PARTICULAR

CIRCUMSTANCES

APPENDIX I: Example system to put radiological health hazards in perspective in a nuclear

or radiological emergency

REFERENCES

ANNEX I: Example of a PIO section within a unified command and control system

ANNEX II: Example Display of the system to put radiological health hazards in perspective

ANNEX III: Example list of advantages and disadvantages of selected communication tools

ANNEX IV: Example list of useful background information materials

ANNEX V: Example templates of a holding statement and an initial press release

CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW

Comments and Resolutions

• 7 comments received from WASSC from: – Germany

• All comments editorial or for clarification

• All comments accepted (as proposed or with modification)

All committees combined: • Total of 161 comments received from:

– Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Iraq, Japan, Slovakia, UAE, USA

• ~40% editorial comments

• Resolutions:

– 147 comments accepted (as proposed or with modification)

– 14 comments rejected

Comments and Resolutions

(cont.)

• Resolutions and revised draft were made

available on 29 May 2017 on Committees’

website

• To be shared:

– Some relevant comments and responses with

focus on those aspects that were accepted with

modification, or new text to address request for

clarification

Summary of Comments from

Other Committees

• Most rejected comments due to terminology inconsistencies (IAEA Safety Glossary, SPESS C Guidance for drafters, IAEA Style Manual)

• Additional new text on PIO selection, necessary knowledge, personality attributes

• New text on INES, explaining INES, the differences between communicating to technical community and to the public, how different level ratings and evolving emergencies can affect public reaction

• Scope on transition phase clarified

• “Protect the public” and “Am I safe?” moved earlier in text, including in Background section

• Addressing rumours clarified

• Social media use applicable to all MS and organizations

Action Requested

• Approval for submission to Member States and

relevant international organizations for soliciting

comments

Thank you!