Today's Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2010
AERB

Information provided under the section 4 (I) (b) of the Act

i.

Particulars of the Organisation, Functions and Duties of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB):

 

The particulars of AERB staff and organisational structure are given in the Annexure-1.

The mission of AERB is to ensure that the use of ionizing radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause unacceptable impact on the health of workers and the members of the public and on the environment.

The Board's responsibility is to enforce the regulatory and safety functions envisaged under the relevant Sections of the Atomic Energy Act. These functions are as listed in the Charter of AERB.

Charter of AERB

  • Carrying out safety reviews of nuclear facilities and projects and radiation facilities under design, construction and operation;

  • Issuing authorisations for construction, commissioning and operation of nuclear power plants, other nuclear facilities and radiation installations;

  • Ensuring compliance by the licensees with the stipulated safety requirements;

  • Organising and conducting regulatory inspections of DAE Units under AERB's purview and radiation installations in the country and enforcing regulatory actions;

  • Assessment of radiological safety status with regard to personnel exposures and environmental radioactive releases in nuclear and radiation facilities;

  • Administering the provisions of the Factories Act, 1948 in the Units of the Department of Atomic Energy which are under AERB's purview;

  • Reviewing the emergency preparedness plans prepared by nuclear installations; and participating in emergency preparedness exercises as observers;

  • Developing safety documents essential for carrying out regulatory and safety functions;

  • Promoting safety research and training activities, as related to the regulatory functions of the Board;

  • Keeping the general public informed of major issues of radiological safety significance.
ii.        

The Powers and Duties of its Officers and Employees

 

Chairman, AERB, who is the head of the organization, is the competent authority for all the regulatory functions of the organization. He is assisted by Vice-Chairman, AERB. All the officers and employees report to the Chairman, AERB through the Vice-Chairman.

All the financial and regulatory powers are vested with the Chairman, AERB. To facilitate the smooth functioning of the organization, these powers are suitably delegated to the Vice-chairman and Directors/Heads of Division. 

AERB has nine Divisions including Administration and Accounts Division.  In addition,  safety related R&D useful in regulatory process is carried out in Safety Research Institute of AERB, which is located at Kalpakkam.

AERB carries out the regulatory and safety functions assigned under the specific Sections of Atomic Energy Act 1962 through the functioning of various Technical Divisions (7 nos.), Specialist Committees, the Secretariat and the Board.  The powers and duties of officers and employees are allocated separately under each technical Division and are given below. 

1.         Operating Plants Safety Division

    • Safety surveillance of all operating units of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) except those that are under control of BARC.
    • Participation in SARCOP, Unit Safety Committees and SARCOP Standing Committees for safety review of operating NPPs.
    • Processing of Significant Event Reports (SER) and other safety related matters of operating nuclear installations in India.
    • Exchange of operational experience through the Incident Reporting System of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and dissemination of information in different units of DAE.
    • Compilation of SERs in DAE and their statistical analysis for operational experience responses.
    • Screening of Regulatory inspection reports for safety significance and enforcement actions.
    • Enforcement and follow-up of SARCOP recommendations.
    • Licensing of operating and management personnel in operating NPPs and review of training programme.
    • Participation in Emergency exercises as observers. 
    • Preparation of Safety Manuals, Codes, Guides and review of Technical Specifications for operating plants.
    • Enforcement of Atomic Energy Act (Safe Disposal of Radioactive Wastes).
      • Authorisation for disposal and transfer of radioactive wastes
      • Review of Annual Returns of radioactive waste disposal
      • Site Inspection and Audit of waste management practices
    • Enforcement of Radiation Protection Rules, 2005, with respect to
      • Occupational workers
      • Members of Public
      • Environmental impact

2.         Nuclear Projects Safety Division

    • Safety Review of Nuclear Projects as Part of Regulatory Consenting Process
    • Regulatory Inspection & Enforcement of Nuclear Projects
    • Render technical and secretarial support to Safety Analysis & Documentation Division (SADD) for preparation of Codes, Guides and Manuals
    • Render support to Operating Plants Safety Division (OPSD) for regulatory inspections of operating nuclear installations.
    • Impart training to the newly joined AERB Personnel in specified topics
    • Licensing of Operating Staff of Nuclear Power Plants
    • Pre-Licensing Design Safety Review of New Reactor Designs
    • Review of Physical Protection System aspects for Nuclear Facilities
    • Interaction with International Organizations such as ROSTEKHNADZOR (Russian Regulatory Authority), etc.

3.         Industrial Plants Safety Division

    • Enforcement of the Atomic Energy (Factories) Rules, 1996 in all DAE units.
    • Operational safety review including fire Safety & health physics review for all DAE industrial units
    • Safety review of the projects of fuel cycle facilities
    • Review of occupational health aspects of workers in DAE units.
    • Investigation of the fatal accidents
    • Preparation of safety documents on industrial safety and fuel cycle facilities 
    • Safety promotional activities such as industrial safety, fire safety and green site awards and safety professionals meet.
    • Preparation of Industrial Safety Statistics for DAE units.

4.         Safety Analysis & Documentation Division

    • Development of Regulatory documents Nuclear Fuel Cycle.
    • Publication cell.
    • Probabilistic Safety Assessment.
    • Deterministic Safety Analysis.
    • Safety Review of Indian Nuclear Power Plants.
    • Nuclear Regulatory Research
    • Independent check for resolving issues related with nuclear plant safety requiring analysis to be carried out.

5.         Civil & Structural Engineering Division

    • Organize, co-ordinate and carry out:
      • Safety review of civil engineering aspects of atomic power projects and atomic power stations.
      • Safety review of civil engineering aspects of nuclear and radiation facilities other than NPP (both projects and existing facilities) under purview of AERB.
      • Regulatory inspection of atomic power projects, atomic power stations and other nuclear and radiation facilities under purview of AERB.
      • Preparation of AERB safety codes, standard, guides, manual and technical documents pertaining to civil structural engineering, earthquake engineering, geotechnical and hydrological aspects.
    • Monitoring implementation of AERB stipulations related to civil engineering design, construction, testing and quality assurance at project stage, and make recommendations on safety status of the projects.
    • Preparation of AERB safety codes, standards, guides and manuals (other than civil engineering)

6.         Radiological Safety Division

    • Radiological Surveillance and Safety Review of installations using radiation sources in medicine, industry and research
    • Preparation/Revision of 
      • Rules Related to Radiological Safety 
      • Radiation Protection Surveillance Procedures 
      • Standard Specifications for AERB/BIS based on IEC/ISO 
      • Safety Codes 
      • Safety Guides 
      • Safety Manuals
    • Enforcement of Radiation Protection Rules, 1971 
    • Enforcement of the Atomic Energy (Safe Disposal of Radioactive Wastes) Rules, 1987 in Non-DAE Installations.
    • Enforcement of the Atomic Energy (Control of Irradiation of Food) Rules, 1996.
    • Project Safety Review of High Intensity Gamma Irradiator Plants and Particle Accelerator Facilities.
    • Issuance of Type Approval for equipment, sources and transport packages.
    • Prescription of Qualifications and Training Requirements for Radiation Workers.
    • Issuance of Consent to Handle Radioactive Substances and Radiation Generating Equipment.
    • Issuance of Consent to Import or Export Radioactive Substances.

7.         Information & Technical Services Division

    • Board Matters.
    • Safety Research Programme.
      • Promote and Fund Research Projects in Areas of relevance to Regulatory Decision Making.
      • Promote and Fund Symposia and Seminars of relevance to AERB by other Agencies.
    • Advance Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR).
    • Technical support to other Divisions of AERB
    • Interface of AERB with Media and Other Agencies, through
      • Press Releases.
      • Publication of Annual Reports, Newsletters and Brochures.
    • Knowledge Management.
      • Human Resource Development (Recruitment, Training, etc).
      • Website Management.
    • Legal Matters and Parliamentary Questions.

8.         Administration Division

            The Administration Division of AERB provides the required administrative and general support to the Scientific and Technical personnel engaged in regulatory functions such as establishment and personal matters pertaining to the employees, recruitment, promotions, provision of infra-structure facilities and transport, purchases, house keeping, printing and issue of various publications etc. and also implementation of Official Language Policy. Administrative Officer-III is the "Head of Office".

9.         Accounts Division

            The Accounts Division carries out account related matters concerning AERB. DCA is the head of the Accounts Division.

10.       SRI, Kalpakkam

The primary objective of SRI is to build a unique research base in areas which are pertinent to safety functions of AERB in a way complementary to the ongoing R&D activities of the DAE units. These areas include nuclear power plant safety, fire safety, industrial and environmental safety. The main thrust of research and development activities in SRI are

    • To develop models, methodologies and knowledge base required for quantitative assessment of risk associated with the operation of nuclear fuel cycle facilities.
    • To generate/collect data needed for safety assessment
    • To provide a technical forum for joint research among power plant personnel, research groups and regulatory functionaries in safety related fields.
    • To organize regular programmes of technical meetings and training courses for different target groups on a variety of topics for enhancement of safety performance.

            Director, SRI is responsible for day-to-day functioning of SRI. He is assisted in policy and other functional matters by SRI scientific committee and SRI management council.

 

iii.

The Procedure followed in the Decision Making Process, including Channels of Supervision and Accountability

 

A wide variety of nuclear and radiation facilities, which are under construction and operation in India, come under the regulatory purview of AERB as given in the Annexure-2.

AERB is supported by Safety Review Committee for Operating Plants (SARCOP), Safety Review Committee for Applications of Radiation (SARCAR), Advisory Committees for Project Safety Review (ACPSRs) and Advisory Committee on Nuclear Safety (ACNS). The experts in these committees come from reputed academic institutes, R&D organizations, industries and governmental agencies. The ACPSRs recommend to AERB issuance of authorisations at different stages of projects of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), after reviewing the submissions made by the plant authorities based on the recommendations of the associated Design Safety Committees.

SARCOP carries out safety surveillance and enforces safety stipulations in the operating Units of the DAE.

SARCAR recommends measures to enforce radiation safety in medical, industrial and research institutes, which use radiation and radioactive sources.

AERB also receives advice on development of safety codes and guides and on generic nuclear safety issues from ACNS. These committees get expert advice from several standing committees (SC) like Standing Committee on Reactor Physics, Standing Committee on Instrumentation & Control etc. and several experts groups. The recommendations from these apex committees are submitted to the Board. Policy matters are discussed in executive committee (EC), which is chaired by the Chairman. Vice-Chairman and Directors/Heads of the Divisions are members of the EC. Administrative and regulatory mechanisms ensure the multi-tier review of all the safety matters by nationwide experts in the relevant fields.

The Directors/Heads of Divisions constitute the Executive Committee, which meets every month with Chairman, AERB in the Chair and takes decisions on all important matters related to the functioning of the organization. The organization chart of AERB is given below:

ORGANISATION CHART OF AERB

iv.

The norms set by it for the discharge of its functions

 
  1. AERB enforces the following Rules issued under the Atomic Energy Act 1962 and Environmental Protection Act, 1986.

  2. AERB Safety Codes, Guides, Standards and Manuals for nuclear and radiation facilities and other related activities.
v.
The rules, regulations, instructions, manuals and records, held by it or under its control or used by its employees for discharging it functions
  The rules, regulations, regulations, manuals and records for discharging its functions are made available in the safety documents published by AERB. One important function of AERB is to develop safety documents, which include safety codes, standards, guides and manuals for nuclear and radiation facilities and other related activities. AERB has identified a total of 120 documents for Nuclear Facilities, 43 documents for Radiation Facilities and 18 documents for Industrial Safety. The various working groups and Divisions of AERB and Advisory Committees on codes and guides for design, operation, quality assurance and siting and Advisory committee on Nuclear Safety are involved in the preparation of these documents. One hundred safety documents have already been published and others are in various stages of preparation. These documents stipulate the mandatory requirements and provide guidance to the utilities for adhering to the requirements to assure safety. Use is also made of IAEA safety documents and other international safety publications. The records of deliberations of Board, SARCOP, ACPSR, SARCAR, ACNS and various consents and other stipulations issued are maintained.
vi.

A statement of the categories of documents that are held by it or under its control.

 

The safety documents are categorized into:

  • Safety Codes,
  • Standards,
  • Guides and
  • Manuals

for nuclear and radiation facilities and other related activities. The list of documents is available on the AERB website. Also, these are priced documents and can be obtained by anyone by writing to the Administrative Officer, AERB.

vii.

The particulars of any arrangement that exists for consultation with, or representation by the members of the public in relation to the formulation of its policy or implementation thereof.
 

AERB has a secretariat and the work is organised through its Divisions. (Pl. see the organization chart in item iii). AERB publishes Newsletter quarterly and an Annual Report. The press releases are issued highlighting the important activities and events connected with the functioning of AERB. The Secretary, AERB is responsible for interaction with the public and the media.

While there is no formal mechanism or arrangement for consultation with the members of the public in the formulation or implementation of its policy, the AERB duly takes into account the views expressed by members of the public through media, etc. Depending on their relative importance, these are discussed in the various committees of the AERB including the Board.

  A statement of the boards, councils, committees and other bodies consisting of two or more persons constituted as its part or for the purpose of its advice, and as to whether meetings of those boards, councils, committees and other bodies are open to the public, or the minutes of such meetings are accessible for public;
ix.
The Directory of its Officers and Employees
  The officers and employees of AERB have been organised in several divisions. The details with their designations are given in Annexure-1.
x.

The monthly remuneration received by each of its officers and employees, including the system of compensation as provided in its regulation.

 

The pay scales of AERB officers and employees are given below:

Please click here to see the pay scales

xi. The budget allocated to each of its agency, indicating the particulars of all plans, proposed expenditures and reports on disbursements made; Under Capital (Plan), the total cost of AERB Expansion Project that comprises of constructing a new office building is Rs.10.72 crores, out of which an expenditure of Rs.1.87 crores was spent upto June 2005 (Rs.1.17 crore in 2004-05 and 0.8 crore upto June 05). The project is expected to be completed by end of 2005-2006. Under Revenue (Plan), the annual plan for AERB Safety Research Programmes is Rs.1 crore, out of which 0.06 crores was spent upto July 2005. The revenue budget for 2005-2006 is Rs.8.41 crores which will be utilized for normal functioning like office expenses, travel expenses, salary of employees, etc.
xii. The manner of execution of subsidy programmes, including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programmes. There is no allocation of amounts to any subsidy programmes in AERB.
xiii. Particulars of recipients of concessions, permits or authorizations granted by it. The following utilities are the recipients of concessions, permits or authorizations by AERB:
  1. Department of Atomic Energy Units
    • Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL)
    • Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR)
    • Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC)
    • Heavy Water Plants (HWP)
    • Indian Rare Earth Limited (IREL)
    • Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC)
    • Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT)
    • Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL)
    • Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT)
  2. Radiation Facilities
    Presently 14 gamma irradiation facilities are under the purview of AERB and 4 more are under construction stage.
    • ISOMED, Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology, Mumbai
    • SARC, Sriram Institute for Industrial Research, Delhi
    • RASHMI, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bangalore
    • RAVI, Defence Lab., Jodhpur
    • RVNRL, Rubber Board, Kottayam
    • PANBIT, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Science & Technology, Trivandrum
    • Radiation Processing Facility, BRIT, VASHI
    • VIKIRAN, Organic Green Foods Ltd., Kolkata
    • STERICO, A.V. Processors Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai
    • Universal ISO-MED, Universal Medicap Limited, Vadodara
    • Vardaan Agrotech Pvt. Ltd., Haryana
    • Microtrol Sterilisation Services Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore
    • Agrosurg Irradiators (india) Ltd., vasai
    • Gamma Agro Medical Processing Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad

    The jurisdiction of AERB also covers radiation facilities in medicine, industry and research. These facilities include gamma irradiation plants, medical accelerators, medical cyclotron facilities, radiation therapy installations, nuclear medicine laboratories, industrial radiography installations handling 1500 sources, nucleonic process control installations using 7800 sources, academic and research organizations and diagnostic medical X-ray installations.

xiv. Details in respect of the information, available to or held by it, reduced in an electronic form. AERB has its website namely http://www.aerb.gov.in. The details of information regarding the execution of its responsibilities is provided and regularly updated in the website location.
xv. The particulars of facilities available to citizens for obtaining information, including the working hours of a library or reading room, if maintained for public use a. The Website of AERB b. The library of AERB can be accessed by public by obtaining prior permission from: Administrative Officer, AERB Niyamak Bhavan, Anushakti Nagar Mumbai-400 094. Tel:022- 2555 2891 Fax:022-2558 3230 E-mail: vmthomas@aerb.gov.in
xvi.

The names, designations and other particulars of the Public Information Officers;

  • Dr. Om Pal Singh, - Public Information Officer Director, ITSD & Secretary, AERB
  • Shri A. Ramakrishna, SO(G), ITSD, AERB - Assistant Public Information Officer
  • Shri S.K. Chande, Vice-Chairman, AERB - Appellate Authority
xvii. Such other information as may be prescribed: Nil

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