A Research Study to Perform a Risk Assessment of Truck/Trailer Transportation of Radioactive Material in Canada

There are over one million packages containing radioactive material being safely transported in Canada each year. Canadian regulations for the transportation of radioactive material ensure protection of the environment and the health and safety of people in the course of these transportation activities. Building on this foundation, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has initiated a project to develop a Transport Safety Risk Assessment (TSRA) methodology that complements the current review of radioactive material transported in Canada by quantitatively assessing the safety risks associated with this activity. This work is expected to provide confirmation that estimated radiological risks from radioactive material transportation conducted in compliance with Canadian regulations are low and the safety of packages is high. It will also improve public understanding in regards to the transport of radioactive material and provide a useful tool for communicating the relative safety risks related to these activities. Lloyd’s Register, Sweden, is providing technical support to the CNSC to source and analyze accident data in Canada with the objective of developing a truck/trailer accident event tree. This will give the CNSC an idea of the nature and probability of truck/trailer accidents in Canada which could have safety consequences. The assessment considers only accident data on public roadways. This paper will outline the project methodology developed in a Canadian context to perform the TSRA. The truck/trailer accident event tree developed will be discussed, and the results and conclusions from the TSRA project will be presented.