The aim of nuclear safety engineering is to ensure that a site does not pose any danger, to its personnel, the civilian population or the environment. The objective is to demonstrate that the design, as well as the everyday operation, of a facility enable the risk of potential incidents to be kept to a minimum.

In order comply with the criteria established by the Nuclear Safety Authority and to achieve the best possible technical-economic combination, safety principles such as ALARA («As Low As Reasonably Achievable») or defence-in-depth are applied.

This means, for example, that the proper performance of the various components of a facility, the quality of its maintenance, compliance with initial specifications, etc. are verified This activity also enables old sites to be adapted to changes in regulations in order for them to continue to be compliant with legal requirements.