The Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material was signed at Vienna and at New York on 3 March 1980. The Convention is the only international legally binding undertaking in the area of physical protection of nuclear material. It establishes measures related to the prevention, detection and punishment of offenses relating to nuclear material. A Diplomatic Conference in July 2005 was convened to amend the Convention and strengthen its provisions. The amended Convention makes it legally binding for States Parties to protect nuclear facilities and material in peaceful domestic use, storage as well as transport. It also provides for expanded cooperation between and among States regarding rapid measures to locate and recover stolen or smuggled nuclear material, mitigate any radiological consequences of sabotage, and prevent and combat related offences. The amendments will take effect once they have been ratified by two-thirds of the States Parties of the Convention.

Nuclear material accounting and control (NMAC) works in a complementary fashion with the international safeguards programme and physical protection systems to help prevent, deter or detect the unauthorized acquisition and use of nuclear materials. These three methodologies are employed by Member States to defend against external threats, internal threats and both State actors and non-State actors. This publication offers guidance for implementing NMAC measures for nuclear security at the nuclear facility level. It focuses on measures to mitigate the risk posed by insider threats and describes elements of a programme that can be implemented at a nuclear facility in coordination with the physical protection system for the purpose of deterring and detecting unauthorized removal of nuclear material.

There are concerns that terrorist or criminal groups could gain access to high activity radioactive sources and use these sources maliciously. Based on extensive input from technical and legal experts, this implementation guide sets forth guidance on the security of sources.

"This IAEA Nuclear Security Series publication provides nuclear security fundamentals, recommendations, and supporting guidance for Member States to assist them in implementing new nuclear security regimes, or in reviewing and if necessary strengthening existing ones. The IAEA Nuclear Security Series also serves as guidance for Member States with respect to their activities in relation to binding and non-binding international instruments. The Nuclear Security Fundamentals are the primary publication in the IAEA Nuclear Security Series, and set out the objective of an effective national nuclear security regime and essential elements of such a regime. They are aimed at national policy makers, legislative bodies, competent authorities, institutions, and individuals involved in the establishment, implementation, maintenance or sustainability of a State's nuclear security regime."--Provided by publisher.

Nuclear security culture is an important component of an effective nuclear security regime, as it serves as a tool to improve the performance of the human component at nuclear facilities and organizations to counter both insider and outsider threats. Security culture connotes not only the technical proficiency of the people but also their awareness of security risks and motivation to follow established procedures, comply with regulations and take the initiative when unforeseen circumstances arise. A workforce made up of individuals who are vigilant, who question irregularities, execute their work diligently and exhibit high standards of personal and collective behaviour is able to achieve effective nuclear security. Building upon this understanding of the importance of a strong nuclear security culture, this publication provides practical guidance on how to implement a systematic nuclear security culture enhancement programme.

This Safety Report has been developed as part of the IAEA programme on occupational radiation protection to provide for the application of its safety standards in implementing a graded approach to the protection of workers against exposures associated with uranium mining and processing. The publication describes the methods of production associated with the uranium industry and provides practical information on the radiological risks to workers in the exploration, mining and processing of uranium. It is a compilation of detailed information on uranium mining and processing stages and techniques, general radiation protection considerations in the relevant industry, general methodology applicable for control, monitoring and dose assessment, exposure pathways, and radiation protection programs for the range of commonly used mining and processing techniques.

"This publication provides recommendations to a State for the nuclear security of nuclear or other radioactive material that has been reported as being out of regulatory control, as well as for material that is lost, missing or stolen but has not been reported as such, or has been otherwise discovered. It includes recommendations for the detection and assessment of alarms and alerts and for a graded response to criminal or unauthorized acts with nuclear security implications involving nuclear or other radioactive material out of regulatory control. The recommended actions cover the confirmation of a credible threat, assessment and interdiction of an attempted act and response to a nuclear security event."--P. [4] of cover.