ORPAS Extended Follow-up Mission Sri Lanka – 2025
The Occupational Radiation Protection Appraisal Service (ORPAS) Extended Follow-up Mission to Sri Lanka was successfully conducted from 23rd to 28th November 2025, marking a significant milestone in strengthening the national framework for occupational radiation protection across medical, industrial, research and educational sectors, by assessing the effectiveness of regulatory and technical arrangements for protecting workers exposed to ionizing radiation through an international peer review process conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in line with international safety standards. This follow-up mission is a continuation of the original mission conducted in 2019 at the request of Sri Lanka.
Background
The initial ORPAS mission reviewed the national legal and regulatory framework, technical service provider arrangements and occupational radiation protection practices, identifying 37 recommendations, 46 suggestions and 2 good practices, which subsequently guided the implementation of wide-ranging corrective and improvement actions with the support of IAEA technical cooperation projects and strong collaboration among national stakeholders. Even though SLAERC was 4 years old, SLAERC agreed to conduct their assessment and provide several recommendations to develop such system.
ORPAS Follow-up Mission 2025
The ORPAS Extended Follow-up Mission 2025 was jointly organized by the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Regulatory Council (Council) and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board to evaluate the progress made since the 2019 mission.
The programme commenced with an entrance meeting held at the Light house Galley, Colombo, attended by representatives from regulatory authority, technical service provider, medical institutions, industrial facilities and research organizations. During the mission, the ORPAS team reviewed national documentation, conducted detailed discussions with key counterparts, and carried out site visits to a wide range of facilities, including:
- Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Regulatory Council
- Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board, including dosimetry and radiation protection service laboratories
- Major medical institutions such as national and private hospitals
- Industrial facilities utilizing radiation sources
- Research and educational institutions
Key Outcomes
The ORPAS expert team recognized that a significant number of the recommendations and suggestions from the 2019 mission have been successfully addressed and implemented. The follow-up mission confirmed notable improvements in regulatory oversight, technical service provision, occupational monitoring, and radiation protection practices in user facilities. These advancements demonstrate Sri Lanka’s strong commitment to maintaining a high level of occupational radiation protection and ensuring the safety of workers in medical, industrial and research environments to meet international standards.
Way Forward
The Council, as the national regulatory authority, in collaboration with the SLAEB, the IAEA and national stakeholders, will use the outcomes of the ORPAS Follow-up Mission 2025 to guide future regulatory actions, capacity-building initiatives and policy improvements, reaffirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to protecting radiation workers and ensuring the safe and secure use of ionizing radiation technologies in line with international best practices.
Mr. K.K.P.I.K. Kadadunna, Director (SLAERC) and Mr. P.D. Mahakumara, Deputy Director (SLAEB) worked as national coordinators for the event..
