The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES): 20 Years of Nuclear Communication

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). The scale has sound technical background.

Jointly developed by the IAEA and the NEA in 1990, in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident, the INES is to help nuclear and radiation safety authorities and the nuclear industry worldwide to rate nuclear and radiological events and to communicate their safety significance to the general public, the media and the technical community. The INES was initially used to classify events at nuclear power plants only. It was subsequently extended to rate events occurring in any nuclear facility and during the transport and storage of radioactive material and covers events related to the overexposure of workers.

Since its inception, it has been adopted in 69 countries, and an increasing number of countries have expressed their interest in using INES. Over the years, national nuclear safety authorities have made growing use of INES, while the public and the media have become more familiar with the scale and its significance.