What we do
We are the United Kingdom’s independent statutory regulator for nuclear safety, civil nuclear security, safeguards and conventional health and safety on licensed sites. Through our independent decision making and oversight, we provide confidence that nuclear activities across Great Britain meet the standards expected by Parliament and the public, ensuring people and the environment are protected.
Our mission is to ensure safe nuclear for a secure and sustainable future.
We deliver five statutory purposes to ensure safe nuclear operations now and in the long term. These are:
- nuclear safety
- nuclear site health and safety
- nuclear security
- nuclear safeguards
- safety of transport of nuclear and radioactive materials
Our responsibilities span the full lifecycle of nuclear operations from the existing reactor fleet and fuel cycle facilities, through waste management and decommissioning, to defence and other licensed and authorised sites.
We also oversee the protection of sensitive nuclear information and account for civil nuclear materials in line with the UK’s international safeguards obligations. As new reactor designs, small modular reactors (SMRs), and advanced nuclear technologies (ANTs) emerge, we play an essential role in enabling innovation to progress safely and securely.
Transparency about our work is essential to build and maintain public confidence in our regulation. We provide a significant amount of information on our regulatory activities on this website and through our stakeholder engagement. We always seek to be more open and transparent by sharing information on our activities, answering questions, exploring concerns and explaining our regulatory decisions. You can find out more about us on our website.
* On authorised defence sites we regulate the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, including Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 and Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017.
