Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Congressional Hearings Transcript

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SMilllO^l-^- You attended the IAEA special meeting of the Board
of Governors after the Chernobyl accident. What
follow-up activities were proposed at this
meeting, and what role does NRC play in these IAEA
activities?
ANSWER.
NRC will participate in several upcoming IAEA meetings over the
next several months. The first will be a meeting, (expected in
late August) during which the Soviet Union will report on the causes
of the Chernobyl accident. There will also be meetings in which
binding international early warning and coordination agreements
will be drafted. There will be a meeting of worldwide experts
that will develop and propose ways to improve safety. The final
meeting will be a conference of governments convened to consider
the recommendations of the experts meeting. In addition to these
meetings, there is also underway a general movement to strengthen
the role of the IAEA in responding to accidents such as
Chernobyl. For example, the role of the Operational Safety
Assessment Review Teams will be strengthened through mechanisms
such as increasing the inspection frequency. The Incident
Reporting System will likewise be improved.