Radiological Emergency Management

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Austria pursues a policy against the use of nuclear energy and is consistently committing itself to improving nuclear safety. Even if the involved risk can be reduced significantly, the Austrian authorities must be prepared for the case of emergency.

There are no nuclear power plants in Austria. Yet there are nine plants that are less than 200 kilometers away from Austria’s borders. Severe accidents harbouring far-reaching and grave consequences cannot be excluded. It is the task of the Ministry of Environment to take precautionary measures in order to protect the Austrian population against the effects of a radiological emergency:

  • Due to international agreements and automatic alert systems the Ministry of Environment will be alarmed at an early stage by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Commission in case of an incident. In addition to that, Austria has concluded bilaterial information agreements with its neighbouring states. In this way, Austria is informed in the case of a radiological incident even before the release of radioactive substances into the environment.
  • The Ministry of Environment operates forecast systems, which enable to assess the effects of radiological emergencies on Austria at an early stage and to carry out a delimitation of the potentially concerned regions. By means of operating such systems, the Ministry of Environment is gaining precious time for taking measures for the protection of the population.
  • The Ministry of Environment operates measuring systems, such as the Austrian Radiation Early Warning System, which monitors the environment permanently for contaminations. In the case of a radiological emergency samples would be increasingly drawn from the environment, as well as from foodstuffs and feedstuffs in order to be examined for radioactivity at the laboratory.
  • Emergency plans at federal and provincial levels define specific schedules for the implementation of planned protection measures in the case of emergency. Regular emergency exercises check and optimise the emergency plans.
  • The Ministry of Environment creates the legal basis for an efficient planning, preparation and implementation of the measures for the protection of the population. Examples for that are the Strahlenschutzgesetz 2020 (RIS) (Radiation Protection Act 2020 (RIS)) and the Interventionsverordnung 2020 (RIS) (Intervention Ordinance 2020 (RIS)).

Radiological emergencies cannot only occur due to accidents in nuclear power stations and other nuclear facilities, but also due to accidents in the course of the transport of nuclear material or a terrorist attack (“dirty bomb”). Austria is also prepared for such scenarios.

Note

Further information on potential radiological events and background information on emergency management is available at notfallschutz.gv.at. (in German only)