The Regulatory Control Book (RCB) is an IAEA training series publication, produced in 2002, which consists of two parts, a text book and a work book with exercises and tests.
For over eleven years, this book has played an important role in nuclear safety education and training activities, particularly those performed under IAEA supervision. It is used by professionals or new graduates involved or intending to become involved in nuclear regulatory activities. It provides them with all necessary information on regulatory framework, on characteristics and main functions of the regulatory body and explains the core principles underpinning nuclear safety (continuous improvement of safety, transparency, etc.).The RCB also presents the role of IAEA safety standards and some elements of international cooperation. It finally includes a few examples of regulatory frameworks in some of the Member States.
The RCB provided the basis for assistance activities supported by the IAEA Technical Cooperation (TC) department and extra budgetary regional cooperation projects, such as the Asian Nuclear Safety Network, courses on regulatory control, seminars and workshops organized in various regional and national projects to develop and strengthen the competence of regulatory bodies. The RCB is provided both as hardcopy and as an e-book on the IAEA website, facilitating e-learning and self-study for the Member States.
Having been produced over a decade ago, however, a number of elements in the RCB are becoming outdated. Latest experiences and lessons learned in nuclear safety, developments in the IAEA safety standards, experience from international peers review services should be incorporated in a revised version of the RCB.
The number of countries expressing interest in developing a nuclear power programme or already starting such a programme has developed significantly over recent years. The needs of these “embarking” countries with respect to nuclear regulatory activities have to be more specifically addressed in a proposed up-dated version of the document.
The revision of the RCB is an opportunity to also make it available as an e-book on the web (e-book).
