2.3. In the context of radiation safety, it is convenient to identify three broad periods associated with the development of a geological disposal facility:
(a) The pre-operational period includes the definition of concepts, site investigation and confirmation, safety assessment, site selection, design studies and development of the aspects of the safety case for safety during operation and safety after closure that are required in order to set the conditions of authorization, to obtain the authorization and to proceed with the construction of the disposal facility and the initial operational activities. The monitoring and testing programmes necessary to inform operational management decisions are put in place in this period. Section 6 and Appendix I provide further recommendations on siting.
(b) The operational period begins when waste is first received at the facility. From this time, radiation exposures may occur as a result of waste management activities and these are subject to control in accordance with the requirements for radiation protection and safety. Monitoring, surveillance and testing programmes continue to inform operational management decisions and to provide the basis for decisions concerning the closure of the facility or parts of it. The safety case and safety assessments for the period of operation and for the period after closure are updated as necessary to reflect actual experience and increasing knowledge. During the operational period, construction activities may take place at the same time as waste emplacement in some parts of the facility and closure of other parts of the facility. This period may include activities for waste retrieval prior to closure (if retrieval is considered necessary), activities following the completion of waste emplacement, and closure.
(c) The post-closure period begins at the time when all the engineered containment and isolation features have been put in place, operational buildings and supporting services have been decommissioned and the facility is in its final configuration. After closure, the safety of the disposal facility is provided for by passive means inherent in the characteristics of the site and the facility and in the waste package characteristics, although institutional controls, including some post-closure monitoring, may continue, for example, for the purposes of providing public assurance. The licence will be terminated when all the necessary technical, legal and financial requirements have been fulfilled.