Revised guidelines for the procedure for approval of package designs in Germany

Abstract

The IAEA Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material TS-R-1 are applied in Germany through the implementation of the Dangerous Goods Transport Regulations for Class 7 of the International Modal Organisations (ADR, RID, IMDG-Code, ICAO-TI). Based on this the procedures for the approval of package designs used in Germany are in compliance with the provisions of TS-R-1. BfS is the competent authority for the approval of Type B(U), Type B(M) and Type C packages and all packages containing fissile material, and BAM is the competent authority for approval of H(U)/H(M) packages for UF6, special form and low-dispersible radioactive material. The basis for the procedure for approval of package design in Germany are the R 003 guidelines, first issued by the Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing (BMVBW) in 1991. These guidelines have been reviewed and revised to reflect the latest developments in the regulations as well as in regulatory practice. In particular they have been extended to the procedures for approval of Type C packages and packages subject to transitional arrangements, special form and low-dispersible radioactive material, and provide more detailed information to the applicant about the requested documentation. This paper gives an overview of the main parts and provisions of the revised R 003 guidelines issued in December 2004 including scope, responsibilities, application, documentation, evaluation and certification for the various approval procedures.