Jun 06, 2023The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) hosted last week the National Workshop to Discuss the UAE's Radiation and Monitoring Data Collection and Assessment Capabilities which is organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Over 40 participants representing federal and local government entities took part in the week-long workshop to discuss techniques, tools and equipment related to dose assessment and radiation monitoring in the environment following a nuclear accident. The workshop was implemented under an IAEA's Technical Cooperation Project which aims to strengthen the UAE Arrangement to respond to the unlikely event of a radiological emergency that might occur.
Environmental Monitoring is a regular activity that FANR conducts to measure radiation levels in the environment. During emergencies, FANR, through its Emergency Operations Centre, is ready to provide technical advice to government entities including radiation protection, and precautionary actions to support protection of the public and the environment.
This event was the result of the initial assessment made by the organizations that are members of the UAE's Joint Emergency Radiation Monitoring and Assessment Team (JERMAT) to further improve its capabilities. Thanks to the active discussions among JERMAT representatives and the great experience of the international experts, several topics were identified for further JERMAT improvements following international standards and best practices. These topics include among others thoroughly assessing current JERMAT arrangements including aerial monitoring, the use of advanced tools to collect and assess monitoring data, and the use of systems for sharing monitoring data as well as the results of assessment. It is expected that such topics will be the basis for developing a specific JERMAT action plan to continue improving arrangements to respond to the unlikely event of a nuclear emergency in the UAE.