The research activities at IFE are to a great extent based on experiments performed in a number of laboratories. This range from small table setups to comprehensive experiments in large laboratories as e.g. the Institute's two nuclear research reactors, petroleum laboratories and the solar laboratories. To support the operation of the research reactors IFE have support facilities for storing spent reactor fuel and laboratories to produce uranium fuel for the reactors and for post irradiation examination of experimental fuel.  IFE operates and owns the only facility for treatment of solid and liquid radioactive waste in Norway. After treatment solid waste is transferred to the national disposal facility for low-and intermediate level radioactive waste in Himdalen in Aurskog-Høland municipality.  IFE has operational responsibility for this repository.

In addition to the nuclear research activities IFE also have an extensive research and development activity of new, safe and environmentally friendly technology solutions for oil and gas production, energy production and energy consumption.

To ensure independency in HSE operations the departments with HSE responsibilities are organised in a separate HSE-sector. This sector is independent from the other sectors that operate laboratories and facilities.  The HSE sector consists of the three departments, The Safety and Quality Department, The Health and Safety Department at Kjeller and The Radiation Protection Department in Halden. 

 Department Safety and Quality Assurance has the features:

• Overall safety function
• Company quality management function
• Contracts
• Innovation and Commercialization
• International organizations
• Safeguards of nuclear materials
• System for physical protection
• Information security
• Emergency Preparedness

The Health and Safety Department has  25 employees organised in 3 sections: Health-Safety-Environment (HSE), Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring, and has the following tasks at IFE Kjeller:

• The HSE Section has important tasks such as access control of access to IFEs premises at Kjeller, physical protection of the facilities and general occupational HSE responsibilities.
• The responsibility of the Radiation Protection Section is to make sure that use of radioactive sources and materials are in accordance with national laws, regulations and guidelines and recommendations from international organizations. The section also supervises radiation doses to occupational exposed workers at IFE Kjeller and radioactivity in workplaces. 
• The Environmental Monitoring Section monitors the discharge of radioactivity to the outdoor air and to water (the Nitelva river) from IFE's nuclear facilities and ensure that these discharges do not exceed the emission limits given by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority. This section also performs environmental monitoring of radioactivity in the proximity of IFEs facilities at Kjeller, in the Nitelva river and lake Øyern and in proximity the repository for radioactive waste in Himdalen. 

The Radiation Protection Department in Halden is primarily responsible for radiation protection and environmental monitoring of nuclear activities in Halden. The main tasks include monitoring of radiation doses to the staff and radiological monitoring of the internal working environment as well as the external environment to the plant.