Year
2019
Abstract
Effective security of nuclear and radiological materials rests on the shoulders of enduring international regimes and robust state-level regulation of facilities. But licensees - operators, shippers or carriers - are also important players as they are the front-line protectors of these materials. For radiological materials, the role of licensees has been invoked in guidance documents and best practices, including the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radiological Materials. But there may be untapped opportunity to incentivize licensees directly (particularly transport and storage operators, as well as medical and industrial users) in demonstrating responsible and reasonable security over the radioactive sources under their charge. As it stands, radiological materials are widely used worldwide by a diverse set of users and producers but do not have the level of controls or standards compared to nuclear materials. This paper discusses a potential mechanism to determine \"reasonable\" security management of radiological material by way of a governance template</i> - a reporting and communication tool that can be easily tailored to the circumstances and requirements of a facility either producing or using radiological material. Through a series of questions on leadership and oversight; security risk assessment; security culture; and resilience and continuous improvement, the template encourages licensees to share (without divulging sensitive security details) what constitutes reasonable security for a given facility, and encourage senior managers to document their security risk management decisions. The paper discusses how a governance template for radiological material could help establish strong industry norms and demonstrate organizational commitment to a strong security culture. The paper also will outline Stimson's proposed approach for the next year to determine the feasibility and desirability of a template for the security of radiological materials.