1. Radiation Source Register Status in Iraq
International Workshop on National Sources Registry
20 – 23 March 2017, IAEA Headquarters,
Vienna, Austria
Radiation Source Register Status in Iraq
ODAY SAAD MAHDI
Radiation Protection Centre / Ministry of Health and Environment

2. Introduction
Radiation Protection Centre (RPC) is the competent authority which is recognized by Iraqi government for specific purpose in connection with radiation protection. (RPC) is established according to the law of Ionizing Radiation No. 99 for the year The Iraqi law No. 99,, issued 1980” radiation protection from ionizing radiation”, which is regulated the task of Radiation Protection Center (RPC) Ministry of Environment and can provide the legal framework which mostly based on the IAEA regulations. According to Prime Minister’s order and the Cabinet resolutions in 2011, RPC designated as the Regulatory Body for licensing and control of all radioactive practices in addition to all decommissioning and waste management activities. In 2011, the Council of Ministers approved the formation of a new National Authority to Control Nuclear and Radiation in Iraq within the Ministry of Environment. On this basis in 2012 a draft Law on National Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission was prepared and submitted to the parliament for approval.

3. Radiation Protection Committee Organizational Structure
Organizational Structure of the Regulatory Body
Capable of implementation of its functions;
Commensurate to the facilities and activities;
Effective independence;
Possible use of technical support (TSO);
Management system;
Staffing and training.
Advisory bodies.
Relations with the operators.
International cooperation.
Legal Affairs Department
Radiation Protection and Dose Management Department
Inspection
Department
Licensing and Authorization
Department
Radiological Analytical Laboratories Department

4. Drafting of Regulations and Guides;
RPC Core Functions
Ministry of Environment, Radiation Protection Centre
Drafting of Regulations and Guides;
Review and Assessment of information relevant to safety;
Authorization of facilities and activities;
Inspection of facilities and activities;
Enforcement of compliance with regulations and standards; and
Termination of authorization

5. Regulatory System for Protection and Safety
Ministry of Environment, Radiation Protection Centre
The RPC establish a regulatory system for protection and safety that includes:
Notification and authorization.
Review and assessment of facilities and activities.
Inspection of facilities and activities.
Enforcement of regulatory requirements.
The regulatory functions relevant to emergency exposure situations and existing exposure situations.
Provision of information to, and consultation with, parties affected by its decisions and, as appropriate, the public and other interested parties.

6. IAEA Technical Support
Since early stages, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) made an explicit efforts with respect to scientific and technical support to the Iraqi National Regulatory Authority. Over many years the Agency supported Radiation protection Centre (RPC) in the impementation and development of regulatory infrastructure in various fields under the Technical Cooperation Projects. One of these project was the Regulatory Infrastructure Development Project (RIDP)

7. IAEA Technical Support (Gabs identification)
The IAEA support to the Iraq regulatory infrastructure has identified the following aspects as important for the regulatory oversight:
Serious safety and security concern.
Regulatory culture is being developed and at the same time there are still remaining areas for improvement. The increasing RPC position and involvement in decommissioning and waste management activities is also recognised.
Authorization requirements and control criteria for radioactive activities are still to be developed and this aspect is very important for the RPC.
Safe management of new radiation applications.
The RPC has also identified that of particular importance for the Regulatory Body in the near future development of regulatory guidance on; authorization and inspection of the new radioactive activities and facility; and building and maintaining capacity of the regulatory staff.
On this basis the IAEA support Iraq and assist the RPC regulatory work in the performance of effective regulatory oversight in line with the international safety standards and best practice.

8. RIDP Action Plan Initial Bilateral Meeting;
The Self-Assessment Programme (SARIS );
Activities for continuous improvement (Authorisation and Inspection);
Development of National Radiation Sources Inventory with (RAIS); and
Development and Drafting of Regulations: Review of the national regulations based on the IAEA publications (especially GSR Part 3 and IAEA-TECDOC-1732) with respect to (Radiation Protection for the Use of Radiation Sources and the Management of the Radioactive Waste).

9. Procedures for the regulatory Processes
Authorization:
Radiation Protection Centre (RPC) have internal procedures for authorization and procedures for the applicants.
according to the Iraq with IAEA agreement, as a result of the RIDP meetings and workshops in 2014, RPC authorization procedures have been reviewed by IAEA experts.
RPC develop a new procedures necessary for the authorization, inspection, and enforcement system, in accordance to the IAEA safety requirements and the experts recommendations.

10. Responsibilities For Protection and Safety
According to the Draft General Regulations for Radiation Protection and Safety of Ionizing Radiation and Radioactive Sources in Iraq, which was developed within RIDP project, The principal parties responsible for protection and safety are :
Registrants or licensees, or the person or organization responsible for facilities and activities for which notification only is required;
Employers, in relation to occupational exposure;
Radiological medical practitioners, in relation to medical exposure;
Those persons or organizations designated to deal with emergency exposure situations or existing exposure situations.

11. Management For Protection and Safety
Ministry of Environment, Radiation Protection Centre
These principal parties shall ensure that the management system is designed and applied to enhance protection and safety by:
Applying the requirements for protection and safety coherently with other requirements, including requirements for operational performance, and coherently with guidelines for security;
Describing the planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that the requirements for protection and safety are fulfilled;
Ensuring that protection and safety are not compromised by other requirements;
Providing for the regular assessment of performance for protection and safety, and the application of lessons learned from experience;
Promoting safety culture.

12. Cont. Procedures for the regulatory Processes
Review and Assessment:
Radiation Protection Centre (RPC) have internal procedures for review and assessment including documentation.
RPC perform review and assessment of relevant information for determining wither the applicant for authorization or the authorized party complies with applicable safety requirements and conditions of authorization. RPC review and evaluate all the information both prior the authorization and during the lifetime of the facility or activities. RPC have a graded approach for assessment of radiation risks associated with any particular activity or facility.
RPC have an arrangements to obtain external technical expert advice or services related to certain issues or objectives by direct contract with the expert or contracting with supervising organization.

13. Cont. Procedures for the regulatory Processes
Inspection:
RPC carries out inspections of facilities and activities to verify that the authorized party is in compliance with the regulatory requirements and with the conditions specified in the authorization.
RPC have inspection reporting and data record system includes the measures that should be taken by the authorized parties including the enforcements actions. the reports submitted officially to the authorized parties to implements the actions according to the results.
RPC performs different types of inspections. RPC keeps all the inspection data and records.
RPC has proposed a technical cooperation program with IAEA to develop an inspection manual, guidelines and procedures.
Enforcement:
the current situation in Iraq, there are no an enforcement policy, but there is an articles for enforcements in the Radiation control law No. 99 in 1980, responding to non-compliance by authorized parties with the safety requirements or with the specified authorization conditions.

14. Cont. Procedures for the regulatory Processes
Based on the results of the RIDP workshop in Oct. 2014, a work plan was devised to further develop and upgrade the national regulatory authorization, inspection and enforcement system to comply with the international standards.
Five working groups were formed to develop the necessary procedures and guides to further improve the regulatory control of radiation sources.

15. Developing of RPC Regulatory Infrastructure
New Authorization Requirements for Radiation Sources in Medical and Industrial Applications
Authorization and Inspection Guide
General requirements for Authorization
Authorization Requirements for Nuclear Medicine
Authorization Requirements for Radiotherapy
Authorization Requirements for Diagnostic Radiography
Authorization Requirements for Industrial Radiography

16. Regulatory Authority Information System (RAIS)
RPC Initiating the development of Regulatory database for radiation sources and authorizations in Iraq.

17. Notification System
As an essential step in the authorization system, Any person intending to carry out any of the activities specified in Article (3) of the Protection of Ionizing Radiation Law No. (99) for the year 1980, shall submit a notification to the RPC of such an intention. RPC developed a notification form and submitted to all Ministries and Institutions dealing with radiation sources to notify RPC about their existing radiation sources, imported and exported radioactive sources and then upload it to the RPC website. These data will be entered to the RAIS data base as well (according to the regulatory code (barcode), adopted in the authorization and inspection system). All the institutions that intend to proceed in practice or in the possession of a radiation source or responsible for specific practice within the practices and activities provided for in Article (3) of the Law, shall inform RPC in advance according to the notification process that had been prepared and approved by the PRC in line with IAEA Safety standards and RAIS system. The notification process also includes companies involved in the supply and/or distribute of radiation sources and radiation generators.

18. Regulatory Authority Information System (RAIS)
within the framework of the IAEA's regional technical cooperation (TC) project RAS/9/062, 'Promoting and Maintaining Regulatory Infrastructures for the Control of Radiation Sources'
The main purpose of this training course was to introduce the new managerial features of the most recent version of the Regulatory Authority Information System (RAIS), in particular RAIS 3.3 Web, and the tools it offers to maximize the benefit of its use as a secure, web-based system.
One of RPC Staff attended the IAEA Advanced Training course on the Application of RAIS 3.3 web for Management of Regulatory Programme , which was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 18 to 22 August 2014,

19. Regulatory Authority Information System (RAIS)
RAIS, is a Regulatory Authority Information System of the basic themes in the follow-up control over the institutions used for radiation sources, which requires the implementation of this axis entering all the data on institutions licensed activities, and licensing information and Inspection own.
RPC developed an action plan enhance regulatory oversight in the registry of Radiation Sources:
upgrade and update the national inventory for all radiation sources that used in medical, industrial and research applications and all other peaceful uses.
Adopt an unified coding system, and updating the data for institutions and radiation sources in Iraq as part of the licensing and inspection process.
Nomination of the administrative team responsible for data entering, as a first step the team initiate data base for the operating institutions in Baghdad, then to move-up for all the registers of radiation sources in Iraq.
setting up an integrated database for occupational radiation workers in Iraq including the; personal data, qualifications, training, accumulative doses and exposure records, during their working life and afterwards.

20. Regulatory Authority Information System (RAIS)
As a result of this training course, RPC adopted RAIS 3.3 for radiation sources registration and define a working team to work on the RAIS software and trained them with practical exercises on the
Definition and characteristics of the possibilities of the program;
Management of roles and tasks;
Management of data submitted online by the radiation sources users;
Development of regulatory authority coding system according to the facility;
How to introduce licensing, inspection reports and data; and
Query methods and printed reports.
The tasks of the RAIS team are:
Data collection and preparation;
Data Input;
coding of (Ministries, Cities, Facilities/governmental or private sector, department, radiation sources, authorization, and inspection); and
Preparation of application form which for notification of practices and activities that dealing with ionizing radiation sources.

21. Authorization Activities
The total number of authorized institutions is (978)

22. Medical Licensed Activities

23. Radiation Worker Monitoring Program
Regulations on the Protection against Ionizing Radiation and the Use of Radiation Sources

24. Gaps and Challenges
RAIS is a new software and it is the first time for RPC to utilize it for data management;
RPC had an old dada management utilizing WS access with limited features;
Then the work with RAIS is done slowly, due to treatment of server issues and find the solutions for data input;
The security situation and limited financial resources issues;
RPC in the process for update of the medical application and then works on the data base for industrial and research activities.

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