Energy Act 2013
ONR is formally established by Part 3 of the Energy Act, and a Commencement Order brought the relevant sections and the organisation into being.
Other legislation that underpins the legal framework for the nuclear industry includes:
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Employers are responsible for ensuring the safety of their workers and the public.
- Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (NIA) A site cannot have a nuclear plant unless the user has been granted a site licence by ONR. Only a corporate body can hold such a licence.
- Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 Provides for protection of workers in all industries from ionising radiations and by the general health and safety regulation which ONR also enforces at nuclear sites.
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ONR conducts its regulatory activities, approving security arrangements within the industry and enforcing compliance under the authority of these regulations.
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Nuclear Safeguards (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 - These regulations are enforced by ONR and support continuing fulfillment of the UK's international nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation obligations.