| Chair(s): |
Vinh DANG, Switzerland |
Secretary: |
Yuji KUMAGAI (yuji.kumagai@oecd-nea.org) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice-Chair(s): |
Marina RÖWEKAMP, Germany Attila BAREITH, Hungary | ||
| Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
| Russia (Suspended*) | |||
| *Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
| Full participant(s): |
European Commission Under the NEA Statute | ||
| Participant(s): |
India | ||
| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
| Date of creation: | 31 December 1999 | ||
| End of mandate: | 31 December 2026 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from document NEA/SEN/SIN/WGRISK(2023)1
Background
The Working Group on Risk Assessment (WGRISK) was created in 1999 in order to support progress in Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) methods, data, and studies and facilitate the use of risk assessment results to improve the safety of nuclear installations. WGRISK succeeded the former Principal Working Group No. 5 on Risk Assessment established in 1982. The topic areas in focus in the early years concerned fundamental risk assessment methodologies, their application in the first PSAs, and the subsequent extension of the scope of PSAs to a broader scope of hazards, set of plant operational states, and risk metrics. The increased adoption of risk-informed decision-making in safety management and nuclear safety regulation led to the inclusion of topics related to the understanding of risk assessment methods and results by these users.
Scope
The WGRISK addresses NEA activities related to the use of PSA and its methods to assess current and future nuclear power plants and other nuclear installations. The WGRISK aims to enhance the use of PSA to improve the safety of nuclear installations, from their design and operation to their end-of-life cycle.
Objectives
The WGRISK will:
Working methods
The WGRISK will report to the CSNI and assist the Committee with its work. The WGRISK will provide answers to questions from the CSNI, the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA).
The WGRISK will be led by a Chair, a Vice-Chair and a Bureau designated and acting according to the OECD guidelines.
The programme of the WGRISK will be carried out by small task groups (TGs), each set up for performing a specific programme activity under the WGRISK’s supervision. All activities have a co-ordinator or a leader who is responsible for work performance.
WGRISK constitutes a forum for exchange of information and experience related to risk assessment in NEA member countries. This exchange encompasses technical discussions regarding risk analysis approaches, results, insights, applications and interactions with other disciplines and analysis techniques, as well as the identification and prioritisation of important issues requiring additional research.
Membership
Members of WGRISK are nominated by NEA member countries and are senior experts in nuclear safety research. They typically come from the national nuclear regulatory authorities, technical/expert support organisations (TSOs), industry or academia.
Delegates from non-member partner countries (participants or invitees) may also attend WGRISK meetings (according to the participation plan of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy).
Interactions
The WGRISK cooperates with and/or assists other CSNI Working Groups, the Committee for Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA), and other NEA bodies on request. For the WGRISK programme of work, coordination with the following has been and continues to be particularly vital: the Working Group on the Analysis and Management of Accidents (WGAMA), the Working Group on Integrity and Ageing of Components and Structures (WGIAGE), the Working Group on Human and Organizational Factors (WGHOF), and the Working Group on External Events (WGEV). The WGIAGE and the WGEV focus on the characterisation of the respective hazards, while the WGRISK addresses the risk impact for the installation.
The NEA has established Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with a number of organizations, such as the CANDU Owners Group (COG), the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) and other international organisations, to promote international collaboration, particularly in the area of nuclear safety. Accordingly, representatives from these organizations can be invited to participate in the activities of CSNI working groups, consistent with the MOUs, to coordinate their work and to avoid unnecessary duplication.
The NEA provides a framework for establishing joint safety research projects, and the CSNI expects that the WGRISK will promote technical exchanges by creating opportunities with relevant projects, and provide technical support as appropriate.
Deliverables
The deliverables of WGRISK are technical reports, proceedings of seminars or workshops, final summary reports from joint projects, state-of-the-art reports, and technical or collective opinion papers. prepare technical reviews of work from all phases of risk assessment, with products such as state-of-the-art reports, technical opinion papers, compilations of ongoing efforts, and comparison or benchmark studies. This work will be done in task groups, whose work will be organised in a project-like manner with outcomes and milestones. The group will also organise specialist meetings and workshops to further its objectives.
