The event will be held from May 20 to 22 and is organized by the Heads of the European Radiological protection Competent Authorities (HERCA)

The sessions are aimed at regulatory bodies and stakeholders specialized in this matter

The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council will host an international workshop next May on the practical application in national regulatory frameworks of the European Directive on basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation (EU-BSSD). It is organized by the Heads of the European Radiological protection Competent Authorities (HERCA).

For a decade, the members of the association have been debating the possible gaps and ambiguities of the aforementioned Directive that need to be addressed and tackeld, the difficulties encountered in the process of its application and the possibilities of improving the common approach to the regulations derived from legislation in the different European countries. For this reason, between May 20 and 22 in the CSN headquarters, HERCA will hold these sessions aimed at regulatory bodies and stakeholders specialized in this matter.

The first Directive laying down basic safety standards was approved in 1959 to guarantee the maximum possible protection for workers and citizens against the dangers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation. This Directive has been modified periodically, taking into account scientific advances and recommendations. The latest approved version, which is now ten years old, modernized and consolidated in a single instrument the European legislation on radiation protection.

The updated Directive applies to all radiation sources and exposure categories, including occupational, medical, and public exposure in both emergency and existing situations. It also covers worker protection in facilities, for radon exposure, and in NORM activities, as well as public protection from radon at home and in radiotherapy accident prevention. The regulations also reinforce the emergency preparedness and response requirements of member countries.

During the workshop, topics such as the protection of workers in environments with high radon concentrations and in activities involving the processing of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), the methodology for monitoring the doses to which workers are exposed and the recognition of qualifications of experts in radiological protection and medical physics will be addressed.