Nuclear Safety and Regulation

There is nothing more important in nuclear engineering and nuclear power generation than safety. It is testament to this philosophy that related cultures of safety management and regulation have spread through neighbouring sectors such as oil and gas, pharmaceuticals and transport. In this chapter, the focus is on the context of nuclear safety particularly with regard to the hazard associated with radiation emitted by radioactive material and the risk, that is, the likelihood of harm accruing from the hazard. The concepts of defence in-depth, the precautionary principle, radiation dose, radiotoxicity and a summary of the corresponding nuclear accident terminology is provided.