The NSC advises the Federal Council, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) and the nuclear supervisory authorities on issues relating to the safety of nuclear facilities. The legal bases for this move are Article 71 of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Energy Act (SR 732.1) and the Ordinance on the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC Ordinance, SR 732.16).
The Federal Nuclear Safety Commission is a permanent administrative body. It comprises members who work on a part-time basis and are qualified in areas of science and technology that are of significance for nuclear safety.
The current members of the NSC are:
President
Dr. Peter Stahl, physicist
Members
Dr. Didier Gavillet, physicist
Dr. Marzio Giamboni, geologist
Dr. Ruth Häusler Hermann, psychologist
Dr. Cédric Hutter, process engineer
Horst Kemmeter, mechanical engineer
Dr. Benjamin Müller, geologist
Silvia Schoch Keller, civil engineer
The duties of the Commission are specified in detail in Articles 2 to 5 of the Ordinance on the Federal Nuclear Safety Commission and encompass the following main activities:
- Monitoring scientific and technological developments and research
- Examination of fundamental issues relating to nuclear safety
- Participation in the formulation and adoption of regulations
- Submitting statements of position to the licensing authorities
The Commission produces an annual report on its activities for the attention of DETEC, which is subsequently published.