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| Primary tasks of RDC | Structure
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The Radiation Safety Centre, RDC, is a government authority with the task of protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation.
The Radiation Safety Centre was established in 2001. |
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The Mission of the Radiation Safety Centre is to provide for the safe use of ionising radiation sources and to protect people and the environment against potential harmful effects, simultaneously ensuring to people the maximum benefit from use of radiation sources.
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Thus RDC ensures that the risks and benefits related to the practices with radiation sources and its use are compared and evaluated.
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RDC strives to develop competence on radiation issues within RDC and for the operators of radiation sources to minimise the risks related to any practice. Therefore RDC participates and facilitates involvement of operators in different cooperation activities on a national and international level in the field of radiation safety and nuclear safety.
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The legal background for the activities of RDC and radiation safety and nuclear safety
in Latvia is the Law on Radiation Safety and Nuclear Safety and a set of regulations issued by the Cabinet of Ministers.
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RDC drafts regulations within its competence and verifies their implementation through inspections to ensure that they are being
complied with.
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RDC provides information and advice to state institutions related to different aspects of radiation safety and
participates in development and implementation of education courses in radiation safety
within national and international projects. |
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RDC is responsible for co-ordinating activities in Latvia should an accident occur, involving radiation. Therefore RDC has Early
Warning Sector to ensure that RDC resources can be called upon at any time of the day or night. Early notification of emergencies is obtained from automatic alarm monitoring stations in Latvia and in neighbouring countries through international and bilateral agreements on early warning and information.
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In the event of an accident RDC will be as one of major advisory body within national emergency preparedness organisation.
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The structure of RDC was established to ensure full implementation of all primary tasks, to avoid duplications of activities within units of RDC, to maintain optimum level of competence and technical capabilities within RDC and most economical way of the use financial resources granted by the parliament.
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Primary tasks of the Centre are defined by legislation and include to:
 draft policy proposals for supervision and control of radiation and nuclear safety;
supervise and control radiation safety;
licence practices with radiation sources;
coordinate combat of illicit trafficking of radioactive and nuclear materials;
encourage introduction of new technologies to minimise the possible harmful effects;
co-ordinate technical cooperation in the field of radiation safety;
prepare national reports;
ensure adequate competence levels of the Radiation Safety Centre (RDC) staff;
assess implementation of international recommendations;
draft proposals of legal documents to maintain adequate legal framework;
maintain data bases on practices, sources and exposures;
ensure operational 24-hour emergency preparedness system;
serve as a point of contact under the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
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Structure of RDC
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The main values for RDC are as follows:
To fulfil the mission independently from influence from the users or promoters of the practices with radiation sources;
To maintain the competence which is adequate to the scope of application of atomic energy within country and potential impact from
its use in neighbouring countries;
To serve the need for radiation safety and nuclear safety for general public and workers with radiation sources;
To optimise activities of the RDC and to maintain high quality assurance level in all practical aspects related to duties of RDC
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Means to achieve the mission and to fulfil the tasks
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Human Resources
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Radiation Safety
Centre's team consists of 31 people, majority has got a graduate degree
from university, with either a diploma in specialities relevant to radiation and nuclear safety
(e.g. nuclear engineering, radiation and radio chemistry, physics, medicine and equivalent experience) or
other relevant education (for general units of RDC). The total cumulative
experience of people in the field of radiation safety is
close to three hundred years. Other activities include: |
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In-depth initial training for newcomers to RDC
Continuous training provided for all RDC employees |
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Intellectual Resources
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Data bases for radiation sources, users of sources, practices with sources etc.
Feedback of operating experience (lessons learned, including inspection findings and international publications)
Access and resources of international nuclear information system (INIS), conventional and non-published sources of information in library of RDC
Experience and information gained through international cooperation activities and different projects.
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Relevant
Legal Documents
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<<Law
on Radiation Safety and Nuclear Safety (2000) 
(135 kb)
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<<National Report of Latvia under
Convention on Nuclear Safety (1999)
(541 kb)
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<<National Report of Latvia under
Convention on Nuclear Safety (2001)
(466 kb)
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<<National Report of Latvia under
Convention on Nuclear Safety (2004)
(341 kb)
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<<National update on Radioactive
Waste Management Practices (2002)
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| Structure
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Maskavas iela 165, Rīga, LV-1019,
Phone: (+371) 7032660, Facsimile: (+371) 7032659
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| Webmaster
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| Last
update: 09-01-2005
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Copyright © RDC 2002, prepared by Ralfs Spāde
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