Abstract: Based on the IAEA safety standards series No. SSG-23, the safety case for the disposal of radioactive waste and its application in the UK, France, the USA, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden were briefly introduced in this article. Combining with the management status quo of the disposal of radioactive waste in China, the main issues in current environmental impact assessment and safety analysis of disposal sites were discussed. In order to promote all-round development of safety case in China, it was suggested that relevant standards should be developed as soon as possible, safety case should be required as a condition to get the license for radioactive waste disposal, and research emphasis should be put on scenario development, long-term variations, robustness, uncertainty and management system.

Key words: radioactive waste, disposal, safety case