REGULATORY ASSESSMENT OF SAFEGUARDS CULTURE AT NUCLEAR FACILITIES

The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) has been using a new domestic safeguards verification system consisting of regular comprehensive SSAC verifications of the facilities. The main goals of the comprehensive verification system are: (i) to assess the facilities safeguards system compliance with the relevant national legislation and recommendations, (ii) to assess the activities of the facility aimed at maintaining and further developing its safeguards system and (iii) to revise validity of data and information previously provided by the facility subject to safeguards licensing procedures. Based on the results of such verifications a safeguards indexing method has been developed for the evaluation of the safeguards culture at nuclear facilities. The evaluated parameters are e.g. educational requirement for safeguards staff, quality of safeguards reporting for IAEA and EC, results of safeguards inspections etc. Input of the method is on one hand the outcome of the comprehensive domestic safeguards verifications system. On the other hand the annual report of the nuclear facilities also supports the safeguards indexing method, which is a good indicator of the present and future effectiveness of the facility level safeguards system and the level of safeguards culture.