The Safety and Radiation Protection Division (S) is responsible for the implementation of all safety tasks which must be performed centrally. According to its tasks, the S is divided into the subdepartments Licensing, Operational Radiation Protection, Measuring Technology, Environmental Monitoring, Industrial Safety and Site Security.

The Department's tasks also include the preparation of emergency protection measures.

The tasks of the Licensing subdepartment comprise applications for licences, permissions and registrations pursuant to the Atomic Energy Act, the Radiation Protection Ordinance, the X-Ray Ordinance, the Federal Immissions Control Act, the Animal Protection Act, the Genetic Engineering Act, the German Epidemic Control Act and the Pharmaceuticals Act.

Operational Radiation Protection supervises compliance with health physics regulations in handling nuclear fuels and other radioactive material and in the operation of facilities for the generation of ionizing radiation. Health physics emergency services are set up and trained to avert nuclear accidents.

The Measuring Technology subdepartment is responsible for S tasks in the field of measurement technology, especially for the maintenance, calibration and further development of radiation measurement devices.

Within the framework of Environmental Monitoring emission controls at nuclear facilities as well as immission monitoring in the vicinity of the Research Centre are carried out with the aid of suitable methods specifically developed for the special measurement requirements.

The safety experts appointed for work in the subdepartment "Industrial Safety" primarily have to comply with the requirements stipulated by labour protection law. This includes the inspection of installations and tools, the surveillance of operations with a view to accident prevention and the provision of advice to the staff members responsible.

The Site Security subdepartment is responsible for planning and implementing measures to protect the Research Centre's nuclear facilities and the transports of radioactive material as well as for general site security and access monitoring.

Within the framework of participation in the R&D projects "Nuclear Safety Research" and "Chemistry and Dynamics of the Geobiosphere" the S also contributes to the further development of numerical and measurement methods for radiation and environmental protection.