As of December 2019, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, FANR, issued a total of 1,088 licences to conduct activities using radiation sources in medical and non-medical fields, according to FANR’s annual report 2019.
The figure included 483 new licences, 459 renewals and 146 amendments. FANR also issued 49 licences related to the use, handling and possession of nuclear material and import/export of nuclear material and regulated items. Of these 23 were new licences, 11 renewals and 15 amendments.
FANR’s vigorous inspection programme continued throughout the year. By December 2019 FANR inspectors had carried out 742 inspections including announced, unannounced and reactive inspections. This number included 404 radiation safety inspections to assess the safe use of radiation sources so as to protect workers, the general public and the environment.
A total of 163 inspections were conducted on companies around the UAE to ascertain their compliance with the obligations of the UAE Safeguards Agreement, the Additional Protocol, and requirements of the international nuclear import and export control regime. Around 40 percent of these inspections were carried out to ensure compliance with the provisions of FANR Regulation on the Export and Import Control of Nuclear Material, Nuclear Related Items and Nuclear Related Dual-Use Items (FANR-REG-09).
Maintaining its resolve to ensure the security of radioactive sources within its territories, FANR continued deploying an ambitious inspection programme. A total of 74 regulatory inspections of licensees’ facilities were conducted during the year. As part of a strategic initiative to target radioactive material in transit, FANR conducted 101 regulatory transport inspections on licensees that transport radioactive sources.
