NUCLEAR SAFETY REGULATIONS

NUCLEAR SAFETY

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 585.02

NUCLEAR SAFETY REGULATIONS

15th July, 2018

LEGAL NOTICE 323 of 2018, as amended by Legal Notice 360 of 2020.

(1)

The title of these regulations is the Nuclear Safety

Regulations

(2)

These regulations implement

(a)

Council Directive 2009/71/Euratom, establishing

a Community framework for the safety of nuclear installations,

as amended by 2014/87/Euratom; and

(b)

Convention on Nuclear Safety.

The objectives of these regulations is to

(a)

support the European Union and international

efforts to achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety

worldwide through national measures and international co-

operation;

(b)

to ensure that national arrangements are in place

to protect workers, the general public and the environment

against potential radiological hazards from nuclear facilities.

(1)

This regulation

(a)

shall apply to the safety of nuclear facilities;

(b)

supplements the Act and Basic Safety Standards

for Ionising Radiation Regulations, as regards the nuclear

safety of nuclear facilities.

In these regulations, unless the context otherwise

requires

"Act" means the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act;

"Commission" means Commission for the protection from

Ionising and Non-Ionising Radiation and defined in article 10 of the

"Convention" means the Convention on Nuclear Safety

"emergency" means a non-routine situation or event involving a

radiation source that necessitates prompt action to mitigate serious

adverse consequences for human health and safety, quality of life,

property or the environment, or a hazard that could give rise to such

serious adverse consequences;

NUCLEAR SAFETY

"Maltese Radiological Response Plan" means the plan referred

to under article 31 of the Act;

"Minister" means the minister responsible for the Act;

"Nuclear facility" means any facility where activities or

practices utilizing nuclear material are conducted, including a nuclear

power plant, research reactor, fuel fabrication plant, spent fuel storage

facility, enrichment plant, reprocessing facility or any other facility

determined by the Commission;

"Nuclear or radiological emergency" means an emergency in

which there is, or is perceived to be, a hazard due to

(a)

the energy resulting from a nuclear chain reaction

or from the decay of the products of a chain reaction; or

(b)

radiation exposure;

"nuclear safety" means the achievement of proper operating

conditions, prevention of accidents and mitigation of accident

consequences, resulting in protection of workers and the general

public from dangers arising from ionizing radiations from nuclear

facilities;

"Secretariat" means the Secretariat of the Commission as

established by article 12 of the Act.

(1)

The Commission shall advise the Minister on all

matters relating to the regulatory framework to govern the safety of

nuclear facilities.

(2)

It shall be a function of the Commission to recommend to

the Minister on the allocation of any responsibilities made in

connection with these regulations with other governmental entities and

to ensure coordination of such activities.

Pursuant to article 31 of the Act, the Maltese radiological

response plan shall take into account the threats posed by any overseas

nuclear facilities, nuclear material transiting Malta, and nuclear

powered vessels.

Insofar as that Malta is likely to be affected by a nuclear

or radiological emergency and pursuant to regulations 93 and 94 of

Basic Safety Standards for Ionising Radiation Regulations the

Secretariat and if appropriate the Civil Protection Department shall

ensure that the Maltese population are provided with appropriate

information for emergency planning and response.

The Commission shall coordinate the

Maltese

obligations under the Convention and shall in particular

NUCLEAR SAFETY

(a)

prepare National Reports pursuant to Article 5 of

the Convention.

(b)

attend the full Review Meetings

of

the

Convention pursuant to Article 20 of the Convention.

(1)

The Commission shall coordinate, at least once

every ten (10) years, a periodic self-assessment cycle of their national

framework and competent regulatory authority and invite an

international peer review of relevant segments of the national

regulatory framework.

(2)

Outcomes of such peer reviews shall be reported to the

European Commission, when available.

(3)

The Commission shall participate in any topical peer

review related to nuclear safety of relevant nuclear installations of

Member States of the European Union.