Studies, surveys or measurement programmes on the transport of radioactive material
The European Commission, DG XVII, has published an open call for tender for an action programme on the transport of radioactive material, with regard to safety, health protection and nuclear safety technologies. The action programme aims to improve the conditions for the transport of radioactive materials. The Commission proposes to finance, in full or in part, studies, surveys or measurement programmes which can contribute to the achievement of this objective in the following fields: - Functioning of the single market and harmonization; - Surveys on transport incidents/accidents; - Emergency provisions for transport; - Assistance to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and to the New Independent States (NIS); - Perception, by the public, of the safety of the transport of nuclear materials. The action programme finds its legal basis in: - Chapter III of the Euratom Treaty; - Article 75 of the EC Treaty (common transport policy); - Council resolution of 22 July 1975 concerning the technological problems of nuclear safety (OJ No C 185 of 14.8.1975 p. 1). The study, survey or measurement contracts will be awarded to bodies, institutions or companies actively involved in the safe transport of radioactive materials in the European Community (e.g. nuclear transport operators, equipment and packaging manufacturers, safety authorities). The call for tender requests proposals in the fields described below. Each proposal related to any of these fields must be the subject of a separate tender. The proposers answering individually, or in association with proposers from one or more Member States, will indicate which batch (identified by its reference number), and which specific action of the batch, is the object of the proposal. - Batch 1: reference No C3/TMR/96, 110: Functioning of the single market: harmonization of the methods for the evaluation of the safety of packages in compliance with the regulations. Contribution to the development of a standardized approach in the field of the packaging of radioactive materials. Studies should cover the following topics: . Proposal for a standard format and content of safety reports and the certificates of packages, subject to approval by the Member States of the European Community; . Inventory and evaluation of the codes and practices applied in the Member States for the approval of the various types of packages; . Evaluation of the implementation at national level of existing EC Regulations in force concerning transport and shipment of class 7 material; - Batch 2: reference No C3/TMR/96, 120: Functioning of the single market: harmonization of procedures and of the qualifications of personnel. Contribution to the harmonization of the competence and of the quality of the personnel concerned, in particular in the following field: . Development of a methodology to be implemented by safety advisers (as defined in common position (EC) No 24/95) for the evaluation of events occurring in the transport of class 7 material; - Batch 3: reference No C3/TMR/96, 130: Functioning of the single market: harmonization of packaging standards and the level of intrinsic safety of the material. Contribution to the harmonization of the characteristics, standards and codes of packages, developed in accordance with existing regulations, through, amongst others, proposals in the following fields: . Development of methods of evaluation for the qualification of LDM, including feasibility studies and demonstration experiments; . Evaluation of external radiation levels from transport packages to the quantities and units specified by the International Commission on Radiological Units (ICRU) and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), in relation to the recently adopted EC basic safety standards; . Evaluation of the radiation protection options related to packages in category III yellow (optimization analysis); . Evaluation of the codes related to UF6 transport containers; . Assessment of the radiological risks in transport accidents involving type A packages; similar assessments for other types of packages; . Leak-tightness criteria for packages; . Analysis of the severities and frequencies of accident impacts and the response of packages, including release of radioactive material; . Development of specific monitoring proposals to prevent illicit trafficking, notably in the ports of the EU; . Practical implications of the adoption of exemption values in the transport of class 7 material; - Batch 4: reference No C3/TMR/96, 140: Functioning of the single market: preparatory work for the revision or further development of international transport regulations. Contribution to the evaluation and adaptation of the existing international regulations, in particular by the realization of studies and the drawing-up of normative proposals in the following fields: . Radiological criteria and requirements for the transport of material with low specific activity (LSA) material and surface-contaminated objects (SCO); . Radiological implications of the traffic in scrap metal contaminated with either natural or artificial radioactive sources; . Evaluation of the safety of the packages by impacting under various conditions and types of targets; . Segregation of packages during transport; . Qualification experiments of the release behaviour of LSA/SCO material in accidents with mechanical impact; - Batch 5: reference No C3/TMR/96, 210: Surveys on the events during transport. Examinations, analyses, evaluations and reports on the radiological consequences of accidents and incidents during the transport of radioactive materials. The studies to be carried out will have to address the following topics: . Development/updating of a database on the events which occurred during the period 1986-1995 and the resulting experience; . Development of a guide comprising criteria and a standard format for the report concerning the incidents/accidents which occur during the transport of radioactive materials in the EU; . Development of an event-severity scale for incidents/accidents (consistent with the International Nuclear Event Scale of the IAEA/NEA); - Batch 6: reference No C3/TMR/96, 310: Emergency arrangements in the area of transport. Evaluation of the existing emergency arrangements in the Member States and possible advantages and deficiencies. The thinking should be developed, in particular, according to the following actions: . Examination of the existing emergency arrangements in the Member States and discussion of the benefits which would result from each of them; . Preparation and organization of an exercise triggering the emergency arrangements of several Member States; evaluation of the results and lessons to be drawn from it; - Batch 7: reference No C3/TMR/96, 410: Assistance to the Central and East European countries (CEECs) and the New Independent States (NIS). Exchange of information and cooperation in administrative, regulatory and training matters. Technical assistance through projects intended to improve the safety of the transport of radioactive material. Priority actions to be envisaged should be as follows: . Organization of seminars and training courses intended for the safety authorities and for the operators of the sector in these countries; . Development of a framework for industrial cooperation in the field of design, construction and use of packages; . Organization of fellowship stays for representatives of the competent authorities of these countries with the safety authorities of the EC Member States; . Safety assessment of the conditions and practices for the transport of irradiated nuclear fuels in these countries, in relation to the practices in the EC. Any proposal should be supported by the competent nuclear safety authorities of the CEECs and the NIS countries concerned; - Batch 8: reference No C3/TMR/96, 510: Public perception of the transport of radioactive materials. Development of activities intended to provide the public with adequate information on the role of the international organizations on regulatory matters, quality assurance, protection of the population and the development of transport in the future. Actions should cover, essentially: . Development of general and targeted information campaigns; . Evaluation of the situation in the European Community as regards safety in the transport of radioactive material and the prospects for the development of such types of transport. Documentation on each batch should be obtained from: European Commission DG XVII - Energy Division C3 200 rue de la Loi B-1049 Brussels (TERV AO/17) Fax +32-2-2955852 E-mail: "Sylviane.De Potter D'indoye"@bxl.dg17.cec.be. The reference number of the batch concerned must be included in the request for documentation. Tenders must be sent, by mail, to the same address.