Risk prevention and nuclear safety

Growth and mastery of its activities

Within a context of continuous evolution, AREVA develops numerous industrial projects, responding under the best safety conditions to people’s future needs, for not only the residents living near its installations, but for its employees and those working for companies under sub-contract. The group must continuously analyse present and future risks, renew skills, and find innovative solutions, in order to optimize the mastery of its activities, always reducing impacts.

A culture of prevention, shared by all

All group employees commit themselves to:

• a scrupulous respect of the procedures required by their activities,
• keep these commitments,
• respond to questions from authorities and stakeholders,
• formally declare any discrepancies,
• gather learnings in order to share them with all.

The energy, skills and professionalism of each employee, throughout the group, contribute to the quick detection of possible points of weakness or failure. This is accomplished by promoting preventive actions across all domains, particularly concerning nuclear safety, work health and safety, and environmental preservation.

An always open, cooperative attitude

Every AREVA group entity dedicates itself to its community of stakeholders, responding as much as possible to its expectations. Group experts contribute to numerous think tanks. For example, at the national level in France, experts notably participate in:

• the Haut Comité pour la Transparence et l’Information sur la Sécurité Nucléaire,
• the Association Nationale des Commissions Locales d’Information,
• a diverse group issuing recommendations aimed at improving the Plan de gestion des matières et des déchets radioactifs (PNGMDR). 

Many communication supports exist, permitting stakeholders an array of information on the group’s various activities, economic performance, and strategy. Some examples:

• Annual safety reports for all nuclear power plants
• Annual environmental reports concerning sites of particular environmental concern
• Annual general inspection reports detailing the state of nuclear safety for group nuclear plants
• Press releases for all nuclear events attaining a level 1 or higher rating, according to the INES scale
• Periodic communication of environmental radioactivity monitoring results, sent to the French nuclear authorities, Autorité de Sûrété Nucléaire and the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûrété Nucléaire, who publish these reports on the Réseau National de measures dans l’Environnement website

Partnering actions that aim to improve risk control and prevention are also maintained. This is the case on large worksites, where safety charters are in effect, co-signed by the various partner entities, managers within the group, and heads of service providers.

Long-term reflection

To be an irrefutable energy sector leader in the 21^st century requires a view of the long term: to predict the needs of tomorrow, certainly, but also to continuously work towards safer and cleaner production methods.

Preserving today’s environment, managing environmental liabilities in order to reduce impact – these are daily concerns of the group. But also, from the preliminary development stages to the design and conception of new plants or services, it is vital to put in place parameters aiming to reduce the consumption of natural resources, wastes and discharge (including those linked to the end of a plant’s life cycle), therefore reducing impacts and preserving biodiversity.

For these reasons, AREVA maintains an eco-conception approach that consists in taking into account environmental needs, beginning at the design stage for products and market services to improve performance on a “permanent basis” (environmentally, socially, and economically). Research results in this domain and the duplication of observed best practices are already integrated into the group’s large industrial projects.