IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RADIATION PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR CARRIERS IN CANADA

The 1996 Edition of the IAEA Regulations (TS-R-1), stipulates that a radiation protection program shall be implemented for the transport of radioactive material and that the nature and extent of the measures to be employed in the program shall be related to the magnitude and likelihood of radiation exposure. Canada has adopted this new requirement when it revised its Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances (PTNS) Regulations, in June 2000. A four-year exemption period was given to carriers of radioactive material in order for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to complete a research project on doses received by transport workers and to develop guidance material to help carriers in complying with this new regulatory requirement.