Regulatory body

Definition

An authority or system of authorities designated by the government of a State as having legal authority for conducting the regulatory process, including issuing authorizations, and thereby regulating nuclear, radiation, radioactive waste and transport safety

Description

The Regulatory body for Nuclear and/or Radiation Safety requires the ability to validate knowledge which is provided to them in the form of license applications, surveys and amendments. The Knowledge needed may exceed the capacity of the regulator, in which case Technical support organization (TSO's) may contribute their expertise. Further KM issues focus on the particularly strict requirements on document management, which must follow a prescribed records reference taxonomy, and comply with National legal framework such as retention periods, security of information or dissemination restrictions.

Besides deploying knowledge management for own purposes, regulators must be able to review and evaluate knowledge management in the nuclear facilities themselves. Although KM is not prescribed by safety guides, it is an important element in the safety of nuclear facilities, particularly as a contribution to the safety culture of the organization. This requires knowledge of KM on the side of the regulator; also in this respect, in-house expertise might be lacking, a gap which is usually filled by TSO's