Following a special topical discussion held on the characteristics of an effective regulator at the 27th CNRA meeting on 4-5 June 2012 and subsequent discussions at the 28th CNRA meeting on 3-4 December 2012, the CNRA decided that a “green booklet” on The Characteristics of an Effective Nuclear Regulator would be a timely and appropriate addition to this resource on key contemporary nuclear regulatory issues. A senior-level task group (STG) was therefore established with the remit to prepare a regulatory guidance report on the characteristics of an effective nuclear regulator.
This report describes the characteristics of an effective nuclear safety regulator in terms of roles and responsibilities, principles and attributes.
Each of the characteristics discussed in this report is a necessary feature of an effective nuclear safety regulator but no one characteristic is sufficient on its own. It is the combination of these characteristics – the roles and responsibilities, the principles and the attributes – that leads to the effectiveness of a nuclear regulatory body.