4.1. The safety approach includes all the ways in which the safety of people and the environment is ensured throughout the lifetime of a geological disposal facility. It may be useful for the government and the regulatory body to set out the national approach in a formal safety strategy document that is produced at the start of the geological disposal programme and updated periodically. A safety strategy is defined by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency [11] as "the high-level integrated approach adopted for achieving safe disposal". It includes strategies to select a site and to design, construct and operate a disposal facility. In addition, the strategy may include recommendations for the preparation and maintenance of the safety case, which can be used in decision making and procedures for regulatory approval (see Section 5).