Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) in Bangladesh
The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) reviews a country’s regulatory infrastructure against IAEA safety standards with a view to improve nuclear and radiation safety and facilitate global harmonization. The IRRS in Bangladesh took place from 26 November to 8 December 2022.
<p>On the ground in Bangladesh, the IRRS team’s 13-day programme is booked with interviews, site visits, daily team meetings, and writing and revising the report. </p>
<p><i>Pictured: Tsuyoshi Nakajima, Nuclear Regulation Authority, Japan; Peter Bester, National Nuclear Regulator, South Africa</i></p>
Most days begin at 08:00, when the team departs the hotel to the headquarters of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), and some days, the team does not return to the hotel until after midnight because of the time needed for group discussions and to write the report.
<p>It is a collective effort to deliver the final draft report of the IRRS mission to Bangladesh within the two weeks of the mission. The report of more than 100 pages provides a comprehensive team review of the ten modules, rather than a cumulation of individual opinions. It provides recommendations and suggestions based on IAEA Safety Standards, as well as highlights good practices and areas of good performance. </p>
<p><i>Pictured: Thiagan Pather, National Nuclear Regulator, South Africa; Michael X. Franovich, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, United States of America</i></p>
<p><b>
Day 0: Initial team meeting
</p></b>
<p>
The day before the official start of the mission, the team gathers for its initial meeting for introductions, refresher training of the IRRS process and sharing of first impressions on the reference materials provided by BAERA. Satyajit Ghose from BAERA joins the meeting to confirm practicalities for the upcoming days, such as interviews and site visits.
</p>
<p><b>
Day 1: Entrance meeting
</p></b>
<p>
The IRRS mission officially begins with a formal entrance meeting. Muzammel Haque, Chairman of BAERA, delivers opening remarks, and the IRRS team leader provides an overview of the process and expectations for the mission.</p><p><i>
Pictured: Zia Shah, IAEA; Satyajit Ghose, BAERA; Mark Foy, Office for Nuclear Regulation, United Kingdom; Muzammel Haque, BAERA</p></i>
<p><b>
Days 2–3: Interviews and discussions</b>
</p>
<p>
At BAERA’s headquarters, members of the team interview BAERA management and staff to gain more insight into BAERA’s regulatory practices.</p><p><i>
Pictured: Abdur Rob Sheikh, BAERA; Eric Mathet, IAEA; Faizan Mansour; Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Pakistan; Santosh K. Dubey, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, India
</p></i>
<p><b>
Day 4: Site visits</b>
</p>
<p>
IRRS team members accompany and observe BAERA’s inspectors during their regulatory inspections of different facilities: the nuclear power plant under construction, a research reactor, a radioactive waste processing and storage facility and two medical facilities. “The site visit is conducted to obtain a better understanding of how the regulatory body discharges its responsibilities, through direct observation of regulatory activities in practice and interviews with inspectors and licensee. The visit is not to review the safety of a facility,” said Ashraf Kamoun of the Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority, who was a member of the IRRS team. “The visits help to confirm and verify our findings gathered from advance reference materials and interviews.” Kamoun, who completed one IRRS mission before this one, visited the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission’s research reactor.
</p><p><i>
Pictured: M. A. Malek Soner, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission; Ashraf Kamoun, Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority, Egypt; Jahanara Begum, BAERA; Mahabubur Rahman, BAERA</p></i>
<p><b>
Days 5–6: Findings and final interviews
</p></b>
<p>
Members of the team share, discuss and agree to findings and, if necessary, conduct final interviews at BAERA, while writing up their portions of the report each evening.</p><p><i>
Pictured: Meherun Nahar, BAERA; Stephen Whittingham, United Kingdom
</i></p>
<p><b>
Day 7: Draft report revisions </b>
</p>
<p>
The revision process begins, in which the team discusses inputs for each module, and the text is reviewed and adjusted through several iterations to incorporate all views from the mission members.
</p><p><i>
Pictured: Mario Dani, IAEA</p></i>
<p><b>
Day 8: Rest day</b>
</p>
<p>
After working for eight consecutive days, the team has a day off and tours the city of Dhaka.
</p>
<p><b>
Day 9: Counterpart discussions and report revisions
</p></b>
<p>
Members of the team discuss draft recommendations, suggestions and good practices by module with BAERA counterparts, which provides answers to remaining questions. The team reconvenes in the afternoon for further discussions and revisions to the report.</p><p><i>
Pictured: Jeff Stevenson, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission; Mahalakshmi Sivaramakrishnan, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, India; Paul Dale, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, United Kingdom; Mishkat Ali Jafri, Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Pakistan</i></p>
<p><b>
Day 10: Report finalization
</p></b>
<p>
The team continues to review and adjust the report, as the team leaders and coordinators prepare the executive summary and presentation for the exit meeting. “The mission report provides an objective evaluation of the regulatory infrastructure and offers recommendations and suggestions that are concluded by the team as a whole,” said Hilaire Mansoux, Head of Regulatory Infrastructure and Transport Safety at the IAEA. “The goal is to be clear and succinct. Our conclusions are based on relevant IAEA safety requirements.” The team discusses and finalize the report, working at BAERA headquarters until midnight. </p><p><i>
Pictured: Ashraf Kamoun, Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority, Egypt; Michael X. Franovich, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, United States of America; Hilaire Mansoux, IAEA</i>
</p>
<p><b>
Day 11: Report submission</b>
</p>
<p>
The IRRS team finalizes the draft report and submits it to BAERA for review. BAERA then provides its comments on the draft report to the IRRS team.
</p>
<p><b>
Day 12: Joint review</b>
</p>
<p>
The IRRS team addresses each of BAERA’s comments, informs Ghose and his team and updates the report accordingly. As is typical, sometimes the additional information in the comments from the regulatory body lead to changes in the report, and other times they do not.</p><p><i>
Pictured: Satyajit Ghose, BAERA; Mark Foy, Office for Nuclear Regulation, United Kingdom
</i>
</p>
<p><b>
Day 13: Exit meeting and departure</b>
</p>
<p>
The IRRS team makes its final trip to BAERA headquarters for the exit meeting and closing of the mission. The IRRS final draft mission report is handed over to BAERA for final fact checking. “This review demonstrates Bangladesh's commitment to improving national nuclear and radiation safety and to learning from international experience,” said Anna Bradford, Director of Nuclear Installation Safety at the IAEA, during the exit meeting. “We appreciate the extensive information provided to the team by BAERA, as well as the chance to have open and frank discussions.”
</p><p><i>
Pictured: Zia Shah, IAEA; Anna Bradford, IAEA; Muzammel Haque, BAERA; Mark Foy, Office for Nuclear Regulation, United Kingdom; Satyajit Ghose, BAERA</p></i>
The IRRS team comprised 15 experts from 10 countries, and 4 IAEA experts and 1 IAEA support staff.
