Information System on Occupational Exposure (ISOE) Project
Ongoing
Joint project

The Information System on Occupational Exposure (ISOE) Project provides a forum for radiological protection (RP) professionals from nuclear electricity utilities and national regulatory authorities worldwide to share dose reduction information and operational experience to improve the optimisation of worker radiological protection at nuclear power plants. The ISOE provides its members with:

  • a forum for global co-operation among utilities to exchange information, experience and good practice in the optimisation of worker radiological protection
  • a one-stop information exchange website providing registered users access to ISOE products and user information exchange forums
  • supported access to global ISOE resources through its four technical centres.

History

The ISOE was launched in 1992 by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) to improve the management of occupational exposures at nuclear power plants through the collection and analysis of occupational exposure data and trends, and through the exchange of lessons learnt among utility and national regulatory authority experts. Since 1993, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has co-sponsored the ISOE programme, thus allowing the participation of utilities and authorities from non-NEA member countries.

Membership and organisation

The ISOE participation includes nuclear electricity utilities and national regulatory authorities which participate under the ISOE Terms and Conditions. 

The ISOE operates in a decentralised manner. A management board of representatives from all participants, supported by the NEA and the IAEA, provides overall direction. Four ISOE technical centres (Asia, Europe, the IAEA and North America) manage the programme's day-to-day technical operations. National co-ordinators in each country serve as contact points for the transfer of information from and to participants.

The ISOE is jointly sponsored by the NEA and the IAEA.

Main activities

Built on a global network of RP professionals from nuclear electricity utilities and national regulatory authorities, ISOE provides the world's most comprehensive source of experience, information and data for occupational exposure management at nuclear power plants. The ISOE provides an operational experience base for identification and assessment of good practices and facilitates the input of operational experience into the development of radiological protection recommendations, standards, etc.

The ISOE facilitates global co-operation between utilities, the sharing of experience and the building of linkages between ISOE regions to develop a global approach to as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) exposure management. The ISOE offers its members a variety of relevant resources, including:

  • ISOE Occupational Exposure Database – The world's largest database on occupational exposure data from nuclear power plants.
  • ISOE Network website – A one-stop information exchange website for ISOE members, providing access to ISOE products, resources, and online user forums.
  • ISOE Technical Centres – Technical centres support participants through responses to special requests and the organisation of voluntary benchmarking visits for the sharing of good practice in occupational radiological protection between ISOE regions.
  • ISOE international and regional symposia – A forum for world-wide experience exchange in ALARA implementation and exposure management. The symposia are routinely organised in the four ISOE regions and provide a meeting place for professionals to discuss current issues in occupational radiological protection at nuclear power plants.
  • ISOE publications.

ISOE Technical Centres

Participants

Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States

Project period

January 2024 – December 2027

Budget

2024: EUR 375,100