Measures to better protect men and women whose work exposes them to radiation will be the focus of an international conference to be held from 1 to 5 December 2014 at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna. The meeting is open to journalists.
The sectors where workers are exposed to radiation include medicine, nuclear power plant construction and de-commissioning; these will be targeted by the International Conference on Occupational Radiation Protection: Protecting Workers Against Exposure to Ionizing Radiation.
A focus of the Conference will be on the rapid increase in the number of workers in medicine who are exposed to radiation.
A further concern is the increasing specialization and greater mobility of workers in many industries, including nuclear, raising new challenges about monitoring and recording individual radiation doses.
The protection of workers in emergency situations, such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, will also be discussed. Attention will also be given to the need to strengthen the protection of workers in industries exposed to naturally occurring radioactive material.
Organized by the IAEA and co-sponsored by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other international organizations, the Conference is the second such international forum to be devoted to the occupational exposure of workers. The first was in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2002.
More than 500 participants from 100 countries and 15 organizations are expected to attend. It will take place in Boardroom B in the M-building in the VIC.
For a programme and other details, please see the meeting webpage
Accreditation
All journalists are requested to inform the IAEA Press Office of their plans to attend. Journalists with permanent credentials to the VIC need no additional credentials. Others should contact Theresa Mackay for accreditation. Please email press@iaea.org or call [43-1] 2600-22048 or [43-1] 2600-21273.