2.5. Safety assessment entails evaluating the performance of a disposal system and quantifying its potential radiological impact on human health and the environment. Safety assessment is a major component of the safety case for a disposal facility and should take account of the potential radiological impacts of the facility, both in operation and after closure. Radiological impacts may arise from gradual processes after closure that may cause the facility and its components (e.g. natural and engineered barriers) to degrade, and from discrete disturbing events that could affect the isolation of the waste (e.g. earthquakes, faulting and inadvertent human intrusion). Safety assessment should demonstrate whether the disposal facility complies with applicable regulatory requirements.