Repères - N°48 / March 2021 - The IRSN magazine - 3

Dialogue, independence,
shared expertise

© EDF - Gaëtan Bouvier

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Emergency

What human resources to call
upon in extreme situations?

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A mapping tool to help local
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About Repères
Enhancing nuclear safety is the main
driver behind IRSN's every action.
As such, the Institute takes its commitment
to making the results of its research, studies
and reports accessible to all professionals
involved in nuclear safety, security and
radiation protection, as well as the general
public and civil society, very seriously.
This is why the Institute publishes a
quarterly French newsmagazine, Repères,
which provides information on IRSN's
activities in the fields of research,
radiological surveillance, nuclear safety and
security, and reflects the broad extent of
its expertise. The international significance
of the Fukushima Daiichi accident is what
has prompted publication of an English
version of this special issue focused on the
accident and on the lessons learned by
IRSN ten years on regarding nuclear safety.

Ten years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi disaster.
This accident, like those before it, has led IRSN to conduct
extensive research and take action to enhance safety at nuclear
facilities and radiological protection of people and the
environment. We must do everything within our power to
prevent accidents, even though there are no guarantees
that they will not occur. In this special edition of Repères,
we review the situation.
One of the key findings resulting from the Fukushima Daiichi
accident has been that decisions made during the emergency
response stage have had a major impact on managing
the long-term consequences. To ensure that environmental,
social, health, and radiological aspects are factored into
decisions made with a view to post-accident management,
the wider public-including citizens, elected officials,
and associations-must be involved in the choices made; this
is especially true since such accidents entail a loss of confidence
in authorities and experts. In such a complex situation, it
is essential to ensure that citizens have the resources necessary
to make their choices, notably, by encouraging radioactivity
monitoring initiatives or sharing expertise more widely.
To conclude, I firmly believe that experts' involvement
in these types of situations must be based on
ethical principles: respect for other people's
right to freedom and independence,
transparent communication on the risks,
and honesty regarding the limits of what
we can do and the uncertainties inherent
in our knowledge. As experts, we must
have faith in citizens.

Jean-Christophe Niel
IRSN Director General

MEMBER OF

REPÈRES - Publisher: Institut de radioprotection et de sûreté nucléaire - 31, avenue de la Division-Leclerc, 92260 Fontenayaux-Roses, France - Tel.: +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88 - Website: www.irsn.fr/EN/- Email: reperes@irsn.fr - Executive Editor: Jean-Christophe Niel
- Director of Communications: Marie Riet-Hucheloup - Editor-in-Chief: Catherine Roulleau - Assistant Editor: Isabelle Cussinet -
Contributors: Agnès Dumas, Octavia Veny, Pascale Monti - Review Committee: Louis-Michel Guillaume - Editing and production, art
direction and layout of French version: ABG Communication - Translation: AWS, Caupenne, Provence Traduction - Copyediting: AMC
Communication - Layout and production of English version: Studios Menthe&Chocolat - Iconography: Sophie Léonard - Cover
photography: © National Land Image Information (Color Aerial Photographs); bottom, left © Grégoire Maisonneuve/IRSN Media Library;
bottom, center © Noak/Le Bar Floréal/IRSN Media Library; bottom, right © contributors to OpenStreetMap; above © Antoine Devouard/
Drone Press/IRSN Media Library - Printed by: Handiprint (50) - Printed on paper sourced from sustainably-managed forests -
ISSN: 2103-3811 and 2491-8776 (Web) - March 2021.

INSTITUT DE RADIOPROTECTION
ET DE SÛRETÉ NUCLÉAIRE

Page 3 - Repères No. 48 - March 2021
http://www.irsn.fr/EN/ http://www.irsn.fr
Repères - N°48 / March 2021 - The IRSN magazine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Repères - N°48 / March 2021 - The IRSN magazine
