A five-day regional training course on general safety provisions for predisposal management, clearance regimes and control of radioactive discharges opened in Accra on Monday.
The course is expected to provide participants from member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with information on the regulatory aspects and improve their knowledge on best practices, technologies and solutions for design, safety assessment, construction, licensing and operation of waste facilities in line with specific needs in the region.
About 20 participants made up of managers, operators or designers of waste facilities and regulators in charge of waste management activities from Algeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Chad, La Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Mozambique, the Seychelles, Ghana and Madagascar would also be provided with background information of safety standards and regulatory control process.
They will also discuss issues on the control of exposure for both workers and the general public.
Dr Anthony D. Wrixon, a retired IAEA Expert, in an address stressed the importance of establishing strong and effective regulatory control over radiation sources within member States to prevent any form of compromise on safety and security and ensure that such dangerous chemicals and equipment did not get into wrong hands.
The course is being organized by the IAEA under its Technical Cooperation Programme on "Strengthening the National Infrastructure and Regulatory Framework for Public Exposure Control and Radioactive Waste Management" and hosted by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).
It is part of the Agency's commitment towards assisting countries in implementing the safety standards through missions, reviews and training courses.
Dr Wrixon acknowledged the consistent support and commitment of the GAEC over the years and asked the Commission to devise ways of retaining such experts.
Mr Daniel S. Amlalo, Deputy Executive Director, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), noted that the general apprehension of the public when words or terms associated with radiation or atomic energy were mentioned, needed to be allayed through aggressive public awareness programmes on measures being taken by the government and the various regulators to ensure public safety.
He explained that though radiation sources occurred naturally, they were also harnessed for everyday use in various countries in areas including medicine, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, research and energy and, therefore, waste generated must be handled in a predetermined manner.
Mr Amlalo said it was also important to know the various players engaged in the use of radioactive materials and ensure that their lists were regularly updated.
They should also have clearly defined pathways for handling waste through the enactment of appropriate regulatory, standard and accreditation mechanisms, as well as through the development of comprehensive training programmes.
Mr Edward Akaho, the Director-General of GAEC, expressed appreciation to the IAEC for its special attention to the development of a sustainable radiation protection and waste safety infrastructure in African member states, especially Ghana.