The Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency invited governmental and technical support organisations involved in emergency management, and particularly those who were developing or involved in related processes for stakeholder involvement to attend the NEA Workshop on Practices and Experiences in Stakeholder Involvement for Post Nuclear Emergency Management. The workshop was held on 12-14 October 2010 in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, hosted by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The NEA workshop provided a forum for participating organisations from many countries to:
Key lessons in nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness and response (emergency management), identified through events and exercises have led to improvements in emergency arrangements nationally and internationally. Among these lessons has been the recognition that the effective management of complex situations created by an emergency required the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders. In this context, stakeholders referred to organisations and individuals, including governmental and non-governmental entities and civil society, that had been involved in or affected by the management of the situation. To be effective, such involvement must begin and be organised as part of preparedness. This fact had been incorporated into the International Commission on Radiological Protection's (ICRP) new recommendations for the protection of people in emergency situations and for those living in long-term contaminated areas after a nuclear accident.
Since the early 1990s, the NEA/CRPPH has been investigating and promoting stakeholder involvement in radiological protection decision-making. This interest was most notably manifest in three stakeholder involvement workshops organised by the CRPPH in 1998, 2001 and 2003 (the Villigen series). In 2006, the CRPPH published a study of stakeholder interaction with radiological protection experts in the post-Chernobyl recovery situation, and had more recently has addressed the implications of stakeholder involvement on organisational structures.
In parallel, the post-emergency management situation, specifically the preparedness and response aspects associated with consequence management and transition to recovery, had been taken up by the CRPPH Working Party on Nuclear Emergency Matters in its international nuclear emergency exercise (INEX) series. Recent exercises addressing consequence management following a nuclear or radiological emergency had clearly demonstrated that the involvement of a range of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, while posing challenges to emergency management structures, presented opportunities for better identifying and implementing sustainable approaches to longer-term recovery. This workshop had been organised to further explore this key aspect of emergency management.
The objective of the Workshop on Stakeholder Involvement for Post Nuclear Emergency Management was to share practices and experiences in approaches to stakeholder involvement as part of preparedness for consequence management and recovery following a nuclear or radiological emergency. The workshop:
Interested participants were reminded that the workshop would not provide a forum for input into the decision-making processes of specific issues at the local or national level.
The workshop included a series of plenary presentations to provide participants with an overview of practices and experiences in stakeholder involvement in emergency preparedness and response from various countries and programmes. Follow-up break-out sessions were held to allow participants to address identified topics and related issues. Sessions were moderated by designated experts to allow participants to discuss their relevant international and national experiences in the context of the topic areas and to identify areas for enhancing stakeholder involvement in post-emergency management. Outcomes were presented in plenary followed by open discussion, with a view towards elaborating ways forward to achieve more effective stakeholder involvement as part of preparedness at the international and national levels. The workshop also included 2 topical sessions.
Following the workshop, the proceedings (presentations, discussion summaries and conclusions) were prepared and made available to participants and other interested parties.
Participants wee asked to indicate their preferred break-out session when registering for the workshop, although this might have been adjusted by the organisers to facilitate discussions.
The working language of the workshop was English.
The workshop was addressed to governmental, technical support and other relevant professional organisations involved in emergency management, and particularly those developing, or involved, in related processes for stakeholder involvement, such as:
Interested individuals were requested to register for the workshop with the NEA by the noted deadline. Organisers may have limited participation in accordance with the workshop venue and format.
08:00 Registration opens
09:00 Opening (Chair: T. Lazo, NEA)
Welcome Address from NEA
J.Dunn Lee (Deputy Director General, NEA)
Welcome Address from US NRC
The Honorable G.B. Jaczko, Chairman, US NRC
09:30 Introduction
Stakeholder Involvement: A Perspective from NEA's Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health
A.McGarry (RPII, Ireland / CRPPH Chair)
Stakeholder Involvement: A US EPA Perspective
M.Flynn (EPA, United States)
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Plenary Session 1 - Processes for Stakeholder Involvement (Chair: A. McGarry, RPII, Ireland)
Organisational Adaptation to Stakeholder Involvement in Emergency Management:
Results of a CRPPH international survey
M.Koskelainen (STUK, Finland)
Experience from the NEA's International Nuclear Emergency Exercise (INEX) Series
F. Ugletveit (NRPA, Norway / WPNEM Co-Chair)
Stakeholder Involvement in New ICRP Recommendations for Emergency Situations and for Long-Term Contaminated Areas
M.Morrey (HPA, United Kingdom)
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Plenary Session 2 - Case Studies in National Experiences (Chair: P. Milligan, NRC, United States)
United States: Pennsylvania Radiological Events and Stakeholder Involvement
D. J. Allard (Bureau of RP for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States)
Finland: Public-private partnership and cooperation between businesses and authorities
i) An Authority's View - H. Aaltonen (STUK, Finland)
ii) A Stakeholder's View - K. Orre (Association of Logistic Enterprises in Finland)
France:
i) The French approach for Post Accident Management Preparedness : the CODIRPA - I. Mehl-Auget (ASN, France)
ii) Stakeholder Involvement Experience from CODIRPA - P. Crouaïl (CEPN, France)
15:45 Coffee Break
16:15 Topical Session 1 - An Interactive Workshop on Risk Communication: Principles, Tools & Techniques
V.Covello (Center for Risk Communication)
17:45 End of Day
08:30 Lessons from NEA's Working Group on Public Communications of Nuclear Regulatory Organisations (WGPC)
E. Hayden (NRC, United States)
09:00 Plenary Session 3 - Keying up the Three Break-out Sessions (Chair: J. Lochard, CEPN, France)
Overview of Topic 1: Conditions and Means to Engage Stakeholders
Moderator: J. Edwards (EPA, United States)
Overview of Topic 2: Tools and Sustainability for Stakeholder Involvement
Moderator: C. McMahon (RPII, Ireland)
Overview of Topic 3: Stakeholder Involvement in Emergency Exercises
Moderator: M. Griffiths (DECC, United Kingdom)
09:30 Break-Out Sessions (parallel sessions, 3 hrs)
12:30 Lunch
14:00 Plenary Session 4 - Case Studies in International Experiences (Chair: F. Ugletveit, NRPA, Norway)
Stakeholder Involvement Experience from the "European approach to nuclear and radiological emergency management and rehabilitation strategies" (EURANOS)
J.Lochard (CEPN, France)
Experience from the "Cooperation for Rehabilitation" (CORE) Programme with stakeholder involvement in radiation monitoring and health surveillance
F.Rollinger (IRSN, France)
Stakeholder Involvement in International Legal Frameworks: A Legal Review of NEA Member Countries
S. Kus (NEA)
15:30 Coffee Break
16:00 Topical Session 2 - An Experience from the Marshall Islands Remediation Program: Involvement of the local government and population
T. Hamilton (DOE, United States)
17:00 End of Day
08:30 Stakeholder Involvement in the Decision Making Process for Recovery Phase Following RDDs or INDs
S.Y. Chen (NCRP, United States)
09:00 Plenary Session 5: Presentation of summaries from the Break-Out Sessions
(Chair: J. Lochard, CEPN, France)
Summary: Conditions and Means to Engage Stakeholders
J. Edwards
Summary: Tools and Sustainability for Stakeholder Involvement
C. McMahon
Summary: Stakeholder Involvement in Emergency Exercises
M. Griffiths
10:30 Coffee Break
11:00 Synthesis of Outcomes: Key Issues and Direction Forward
(Moderator: M. Boyd, EPA, United States)
12:00 Summary
T. Lazo (NEA)
12:15 Close of Workshop
edward.lazo@oecd-nea.org
