Nuclear Safety and Security

Expected Result: Federal activities, regulations and policies, related to nuclear or radiological issues, are supported by the necessary expertise and facilities.

As the centre of federal expertise on nuclear and radiological issues, AECL maintains the safety and security of several federal nuclear sites, develops technology that is used to assure Canada's nuclear safety and security, and provides advice to other government departments and international nuclear bodies.

This PA provides fire, security, radiation safety and nuclear material transportation services to ensure the safety and security of the licensed sites operated by the Nuclear Laboratories across Canada. It develops technologies to lead and assist international efforts in non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and materials, and provides the technical basis for the safe operation of nuclear facilities and reactors in Canada, including tools to support regulatory risk assessment and emergency response to nuclear incidents. An oversight body provides education and assessment to promote a culture of safety and improved performance first within the Nuclear Laboratories and through collaborations, within other national and international organizations. This PA also develops expertise used to represent Canada in international forums on nuclear safety and radiological issues, and to advise and support the private and public sector on topics ranging from safe regulation of facilities, to methods for detection of nuclear materials. It is comprised of five sub-activities, described below:

• Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Counterterrorism supports collaborations with Canadian government agencies, the private sector and international organizations to reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation by providing innovation to prevent and detect illegal transport of nuclear materials.
• Nuclear Security Response ensures that AECL's nuclear sites present no threat to nuclear safety and security, and provides technical support as required to other nuclear sites in Canada.
• Nuclear Materials Handling ensures that nuclear materials are managed and transported such that there is no risk to nuclear workers or the Canadian public.
• Nuclear Oversight identifies performance gaps to improve safety and efficiency, and provides oversight for continuous improvement/learning initiatives, including audits of programs and facilities.
• Nuclear Safety Technology develops methods to enable the safe execution of nuclear activities in Canada based on sound scientific knowledge, and ensures that the regulator has access to this knowledge. It provides data, tools and measurements to support the safe regulation of nuclear facilities, and to validate and develop codes to perform nuclear safety analysis and define safety margins.