In the event of a nuclear emergency the time available for decision making and for implementing an effective strategy for response may be short. It is therefore important that an appropriate management system be used. All organizations that may be involved in the response to a nuclear or radio­logical emergency shall ensure that appropriate management arrangements are adopted to meet the timescales for response throughout the emergency. Where appropriate, the management system shall be consistent with that used by other response organizations in order to ensure a timely, effective and coordinated response.

Although its probability is extremely low, the possibility that a large-scale nuclear accident has adverse health, social, economic, political and transna­tional consequences implies that national authorities have a key role in the development and implementation of nuclear emergency plans. Jurisdictions of the various orders and levels of government may be laid out in substan­tially different ways between States. Likewise, the authorities of the various organizations that could be involved in emergency response may be allo­cated in substantially different ways. A generic approach to describe the allocation of responsibilities at national level can be gotten from interna­tional recommendations. The national legislation allocates clearly the responsibilities establishing or identifying an existing governmental body or organization to act as a national coordinating authority. This authority is in charge of ensuring that responsibilities of operators and response organi­zations are clearly assigned and are understood by all response organiza­tions, and that arrangements are in place for achieving and enforcing compliance with the requirements.

The plant operator, the employer, the regulatory body and appropriate branches of government are responsible for establishing arrangements for preparedness and response for a nuclear or radiation emergency at the scene, at local, regional and national levels and, where so agreed between States, at the international level. In practice, all levels of national, regional and local public authorities have some responsibility in preparedness and response to nuclear emergencies. Responsibilities assumed by each author­ity depend on national political and administrative organization. Notwithstanding, sharing of responsibility is usually established according to a common pattern.

12.1.1 Responsibilities of the licensee

Primary responsibility in responding to a nuclear emergency falls on the operator and deals with implementation of provisions of on-site emergency plans under the oversight of the regulatory authority, as part of the require­ments established in the nuclear safety regulations. In discharging this responsibility, the operator has the following functions:

• Designing, building and operating nuclear plant in such a way that the probability of a breakdown, an accident or a malicious act that could trigger an emergency is minimized

• Developing on-site emergency plans appropriate for its facility and site, providing them with the necessary resources, and keeping them fully operational

• Providing to its staff special training on crisis management and opera­tion of the plant under emergency conditions

• Conducting periodic emergency exercises and drills to train its staff and to check the full operability of its on-site emergency plan

• Having suitable procedures and resources to bring the plant to safe conditions in the shortest time possible, and to implement them as soon as possible to minimize the health risks to its own staff and the uncon­trolled release of radioactive material abroad, in case of an emergency situation

• Cooperating with authorities in the preparation of emergency response by providing the means, resources and information necessary to draw up plans for protecting the population

• Notifying urgently to authorities in charge of protecting the population, the occurrence of any situation that requires the activation of contin­gency plans designed to protect people and keep them informed of developments, providing all available information that can be useful to take decisions and optimizing the use of the resources available to emergency plans. In many countries, licensees are responsible for taking first-response decisions until public authorities have been activated and are ready to assume the direction of the emergency response.