"The UAE made Significant Improvements towards Occupational
Radiation Protection": this was the latest acknowledgement recently made by the
Extended Occupational Radiation Protection Appraisal Service (ORPAS) Follow-up
Mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during its visit to
the United Arab Emirates.
Such achievements are by no means a culmination of years of
dedication, commitment by various national stakeholders in the UAE and especially
after the foundation of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) in
2009 to regulate the nuclear and radiation sectors in the country and ensure
the protection of the community and the public alike.
FANR, over the years, built a robust radiation protection infrastructure
that caters for the growing needs of the UAE now and in future. It issued
regulations and regulatory guides to licensed facilities, issued licenses for
them to ensure radiation protection both medical and industrial
facilities. FANR, furthermore,
contributed to the formation of the Radiation Protection Committee in 2011,
comprising federal and local government entities to promote cooperation among
various bodies and recommendations to improve radiation protection in the UAE.
In October 2022, The IAEA's ORPAS mission lauded the
significant efforts by the various national stakeholders to strengthen the
occupational radiation protection infrastructure. The international mission reviewed
the legislative and regulatory infrastructure for Occupational Radiation
Protection by visiting UAE government officials including FANR, the UAE Space
Agency and others. It also reviewed the technical service providers such as the
FANR's Secondary Standards Dosimetry Lab, which was reviewed for the first-time
in the mission. It also visited the Barakah Nuclear Power plant as well as
medical facilities.
The mission also confirmed
that the UAE addressed and closed all the recommendations and suggestions made
in 2015 such as establishing the National Dose Registry, harmonizing health
surveillance procedures, approval of dosimetry services as well as providing
training for different stakeholders on radiation protection.
The IAEA underscored the UAE demonstrated strong commitment
to enhance plans related to occupational radiation protection arrangements;
appropriate and effective implementation of the national framework for
radiation protection of workers. The mission underscored that Barakah Nuclear
Power Plant developed and implemented a radiation protection programme that
fully complies with national regulations and IAEA safety standards. The IAEA,
furthermore, considered the UAE as the first Member State requesting the
appraisal of the occupational radiation protection arrangement for its space
programme, making the UAE a role model for other countries.
Since its setup 13 years ago, FANR has established the UAE's
nuclear regulatory framework, which includes measures intended to protect
workers who may be subject to radiation exposure in their workplace. Under
such framework, FANR licenses all entities that use radiation-based
technologies and ensures their compliance with regulations and a system of
inspections and enforcement mechanisms.