Safety philosophy and safety standards in nuclear law a comparative assessment

From its very inception, the peaceful use of nuclear power was accompanied by the forceful development of a safety philosophy and of safety standards which, in many ways, have model character for the entire field of technology. Against the finding that absolute safety will never be attainable (a law of nature), the yardsticks developed were based on the principle of caution so as to contain considerable safety margins even under pessimistic assumptions and remote possibilities of failure. In this way the main goal, i.e. the protection of persons and of the environment, can be ensured in a concept relying on stable reactor physics design and on the containment of radioactive inventories. Common approaches and common safety standards, partly with different solutions, have developed in the Western industrialized countries, with the broad acceptance of light water reactor technology providing a sound technical basis. In addition, a safety philosophy has become established in individual countries which, by continuous further development and through the inclusion of current findings and experiences, though practiced differently in each case, helps to advance safety in the future, and supports the process of turning safety approaches into dynamic propositions. In principle, the concepts and standards underlying safety are very similar in the industrialized countries, but differ considerably in matters of detail as a consequence of different technical and industrial cultures. Given the international importance of the safety of nuclear installations, there is a keen interest in unifying standards at a high level. At present, chances are good to achieve a broad consensus. Europe as a region with the largest number of nuclear power plants in operation should play an important role in this effort and should use this opportunity, because of its traditional high safety-mindedness, by introducing best practices.