The development of radiation protection and of nuclear safety concepts have been somewhat separate. Traditionally, radiation protection has mainly focused on the protection of workers and members of the public from exposures during normal operations and from the radiological consequences of accidents. At the same time, nuclear safety has developed throughout the years a complex set of approaches and methods for the prevention and mitigation of accidents in nuclear installations. The introduction of the concept of potential exposure as is now defined can provide a bridge between these two complementary aspects of the science of prevention.