WHO ARE IACRS MEMBERS?

8intergovernmental organizations
European Commission
Food and Agriculture Organization
International Atomic Energy Agency
International Labour Organization
OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
Pan American Health Organization
United Nations Scientific Committee on
the Effects of Atomic Radiation

5Inter-Agency Committeeon Radiation Safety
30 years of working together

IACRS works together
towards consistent and comprehensive radiation
protection and safety principles and criteria.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT:

iacrs-rp.org

World Health Organization

non-governmental bodies
International Commission on Radiation
Units and Measurements
International Commission on RadiologicalProtection
International Electrotechnical Commission
International Organization forStandardization
International Radiation Protection
AssociationWHAT DOES IACRS DO?
Inter-Agency Committee (IACRS) promotes
consistency and co-ordination of policies in radiation
safety.
Through
IACRS,
eight
intergovernmentalorganizations and five non-governmental bodies
work hand in hand, exchange information on theiractivities, strive to avoid unnecessary duplication,and develop common views. Together, they:
assist in applying principles, criteria and standards;
assist in translating them into regulatory terms;
co-ordinate research and development;
advance education and training;
promote information exchange;
facilitate the transfer of technology and know-how;provide services in radiation protection and safety.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Each of the 13 organizations and bodies nominates a
representative to IACRS. Members hold regular andad-hoc meetings.
The chairmanship of the Committee rotates on aregular basis.

HOW DID IT START?

In 1990, IACRS was created with the main objective
to develop the first international safety standards
endorsed by all major players in the field of radiation safety.
This followed the IAEA Statute, which describes the IAEA’srole as:“To establish or adopt, in consultation and, where appropriate,
in collaboration with the competent organs of the United
Nations and with the specialized agencies concerned,
standards of safety for protection of health and minimizationof danger to life and property (including such standards
for labour conditions)… and to provide for the applicationof these standards,… at the request of a State, to any of that
State’s activities in the field of atomic energy.”

WHAT ARE ITS BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENTS?
INTERNATIONAL BASIC SAFETY STANDARDS

To achieve a better co-ordination, the IACRS specificallyagrees, as and when appropriate, to assist with a review andrevision of the international safety standards.
IACRS played a key role in the development of theInternational Basic Safety Standards for Protection against
Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources(BSS), last revised in 2014.
BSS is the international benchmark for radiation safety usedin many countries as the basis for national legislation toprotect workers, patients, the public and the environment
from the risks of ionizing radiation.
BSS is based on the available scientific evidence on theeffects of ionizing radiation and takes into account practices
and experiences from around the world in the use ofionizing radiation and nuclear techniques.

The IACRS BSS implementation working group —chaired by the IAEA — coordinates activities onpromotion and application of BSS to be provided
in a consistent and coherent manner.

ANNUAL DOSE LIMITS FOR THE PUBLIC,
WORKERS AND LENS OF THE EYE

IACRS contributed to the discussion on thedevelopment of dose limits, previously set to 5 mSv
for the public and 50mSv for workers exposed toradiation in the course of their work. In 1996, theselimits were reduced to 1 mSv for the public and 20mSv for workers.
The IACRS members also discussed applicationsof the reduction of occupational dose limit for thelens of the eye from 150 mSv per year to 20 mSv
per year.

INTERNATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON
OCCUPATIONAL RADIATION PROTECTION

IACRS recognized the IAEA-ILO International
Action Plan in 2004 with nine key areas aiming tostrengthen occupational radiation protection.

RADON STATEMENT

Following the ICRP revised dose conversion
factors for exposure due to the radon inworkplaces, IACRS supported that no changes
are necessary to the International Basic Safety
Standards recommendations of the use of radonreference values expressed in terms of Bq/m3.

REPORT ON IONISING RADIATION SCREENING
DEVICES AT AIRPORTIn 2010, IACRS developed a short summary
document on security screening devices. It
remains an up-to-date source of backgroundinformation on these devices.