The task of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority

The task of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority is to protect people and the environment from the consequences of radiation accidents. Consequently, the Authority is on alert to deal with events such as an accident involving nuclear technology or an accident occurring during transport of radioactive material. As an expert within radiation protection and nuclear technology, the Authority first and foremost provides advice and recommendations to those leading the work to handle the incident or accident.

Information in the event of a radiation accident

Preparedness in Sweden is represented by a network of authorities at all levels of society. These authorities have various areas of responsibility and roles and, in the event of an accident, they must be able to co-operate in order to protect people and the environment as far as possible against the harmful effects of radiation.

The task of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority is to assess risks, potential nuclear technology and kinds of radiation accidents and how these could affect Sweden. The Authority has a radiation protection officer on duty who can always be reached via SOS Alarm.

The aim of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority’s emergency preparedness is to minimise the impact on people and the environment in the event of an accident, and thus:

• prevent serious radiation injuries to people
• reduce the effects of radiation in the long term
• limit a radiation accident’s impact on society
• evaluate the technical level of a threat in the event of a nuclear energy accident

The preparedness plan: support during a crisis

Preparedness planning takes into account potential accidents and incidents involving radiation in Sweden as well as abroad. A preparedness plan is required in order to enable quick action should an accident occur. This kind of plan provides guidelines on how the Authority should work in crisis situations. Although it is not possible to predict all kinds of accident situations, this plan serves as a good starting point. However, as no two incidents are the same, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority must have the capability to improvise so that it can manage a crisis situation.