The SSMFS (Strålsäkerhetsmyndighetens författningssamling) is the binding rule series of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority SSM. Since SSM was formed in 2008, all new Swedish radiation-safety and reactor-safety rules are issued in this series. Earlier rules issued by the predecessor authorities SKI and SSI remain valid until explicitly replaced.

Legal hierarchy

The Swedish legal stack from top to bottom:

  1. Acts passed by the Riksdag — primarily the Strålskyddslagen (Radiation Protection Act, SFS 2018:396) and the Kärntekniklagen (Nuclear Activities Act, SFS 1984:3).
  2. Ordinances (förordningar) issued by the Government — e.g. the Strålskyddsförordningen (SFS 2018:506).
  3. Författningar issued by SSM — the SSMFS series. These are legally binding on licensees and notifiers, with non-compliance penalties under the parent acts.
  4. SSM decisions, allmänna råd (general advice), and licensee-specific licence conditions.

A reader analysing any Swedish radiation-safety question should normally start with the Act, locate the relevant SSMFS, check for any allmänna råd that interpret it, and then look at the licensee's individual permit and local procedures.

Structure of the series

SSMFS regulations are numbered by year and serial within year (e.g. SSMFS 2018:1, SSMFS 2021:7). The corpus indexed by this wiki contains around 170 individual SSMFS regulations. Major topic groupings:

  • Foundational — SSMFS 2018:1 (basic provisions for licensable activities with ionising radiation), SSMFS 2018:2 (activities subject to notification), SSMFS 2018:3 (exemptions and clearance).
  • Nuclear reactors — SSMFS 2021:4 (design), SSMFS 2021:5 (valuation and reporting of safety), SSMFS 2021:6 (operation), SSMFS 2021:7 (waste management at nuclear facilities), SSMFS 2014:2 (emergency preparedness).
  • Medical and industrial — rules on X-ray, fluoroscopy, mammography, dental, veterinary, industrial radiography, brachytherapy, nuclear medicine.
  • Specific articles and sources — SSMFS 2008:44 (smoke detectors with radioactive material), 2008:47 (fire alarms with radioactive sources), 2012:2 (tritium-containing sights and compasses).
  • Non-ionising — SSMFS 2014:4 (laser, strong laser pointers), 2025:1 (cosmetic solariums and artificial suns), 2026:1 (aesthetic non-ionising treatments).
  • Research and training — SSMFS 2018:8 (X-ray equipment and sealed sources used in schools), and the provisions on permitting and notification for research with ionising radiation.

Översyn — the rolling review

SSM operates a continuous översyn (review) programme to consolidate, modernise and clarify the rule series. The 2021 reactor reforms (2021:4-7) and the 2018 rationalisation following the 2018 Radiation Protection Act are the most visible recent steps. Drafts are published for public consultation; final adoption is by SSM's management.

Reading SSMFS

Each rule is structured by scope, definitions, requirements, transitional provisions and date of entry into force. Many rules are paired with non-binding allmänna råd (general advice) that explain how to interpret a requirement. Where international harmonisation applies, the explanatory memorandum (konsekvensutredning) typically identifies the WENRA reference level or the IAEA standard that the rule implements.