The government shall make provision for emergency preparedness to enable a timely and effective response in a nuclear or radiological emergency.
The government shall make each authorized party responsible for preparing an emergency plan and for making arrangements for emergency preparedness and response. Emergency arrangements shall include a clear assignment of responsibility for immediate notification of an emergency to the response organizations. The regulatory body shall take account of the fact that, in an emergency, routine regulatory administration such as the issue of prior authorizations may need to be suspended in favour of a timely emergency response.
In addition to assigning the responsibilities of authorized parties, the government shall establish a nationwide system, including emergency arrangements, to protect the public in a nuclear or radiological emergency declared as a consequence of an incident within or outside the territories and jurisdiction of the State.
The government shall designate response organizations that will have the responsibilities and resources necessary to make preparations and arrangements for dealing with the consequences of incidents in facilities and activities that affect, or that might affect, the public and the environment. Such preparations shall include planning the actions to be taken both in an emergency and in its aftermath.
The government shall specify and shall assign clear responsibilities so that timely and effective decisions can be made in an emergency, and shall make provision for effective coordination of and communication between authorized parties and response organizations
In preparing an emergency plan and in the event of an emergency, the regulatory body shall advise the government and response organizations, and shall provide expert services (e.g. services for radiation monitoring and risk assessment for actual and expected future radiation risks) in accordance with the responsibilities assigned to it.
The government shall ensure that adequate training, drills and exercises, involving authorized parties and response organizations, including decision makers, are carried out regularly to contribute to an effective emergency response. The training, drills and exercises shall cover a full range of postulated emergencies (e.g. events affecting several facilities on the same site, emergency exercises of long duration and emergencies with transboundary consequences).
The government shall ensure that arrangements, commensurate with the radiation risks, are in place to inform the general public and members of the public who are affected, or are potentially affected, about measures for emergency preparedness and response. These arrangements shall include arrangements for the provision of information before, during and after operation, until release of the facility or radiation source from regulatory control. Members of the public concerned shall be informed of the potential for a nuclear or radiological emergency, the nature of the associated hazards, the ways in which people will be alerted or notified, and actions to be taken, as appropriate