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National Inventory
of Radioactive Waste

Radioactive Waste

Common National Inventory of Radioactive Waste

What is it?
Last week,  radiation license holders in Victoria received correspondence from the Department of Health and the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency regarding completing the Common National Inventory of Radioactive Waste survey. The purpose of this survey is to create a master inventory of all radioactive waste in Australia. The data contained in the inventory will be crucial for the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency to plan how Australia will safely contain and dispose of radioactive waste into the future. This includes local, long-term and permanent disposal sites as well as international disposal, where applicable. Currently, waste is stored on site by the waste generator or local regulators. There are over one hundred storage sites around Australia.

What is the plan for Australia’s radioactive waste?
The Australian Radioactive Waste Agency has announced Napandee, 24 kilometres west of Kimba, South Australia as future home of the National Radioactive Waste Management Facility. Approximately 211 hectares of land has been acquired for the project, which will be a permanent storage facility for low-level radioactive waste and a temporary store for intermediate-level waste. The large site will be the national hub for all radioactive waste. Low-level waste such as contaminated paper, gloves, filters etc. from radio pharmaceutical activities will be contained in specialized containers and buried at the site in concrete bunkers. Intermediate waste such as those produced by ANSTO’s OPAL reactor and radiopharmaceutical production will be temporarily stored at this site in secure buildings until a permanent facility is established for them. This is scheduled to occur in approximately thirty years’ time .

I have sealed sources which are currently in use. Do I need to include them in the national inventory of radioactive waste?
Nuclear Australia have received clarification from the Department of Health that all license holders who possess radioactive sources should complete the survey as although sources in use are not waste, they do represent a future waste which will need to be properly disposed of once used.

Will I be able to dispose of my disused sealed sources in Australia soon?
For a number of reasons, disused sealed sources will still need to be returned to their country of origin for ultimate disposal. These factors include international law on the repatriation of sources, the radio toxicity of the isotopes used in sealed sources and the long half-lives typically seen in sealed source isotopes. If you currently own a disused sealed source and would like assistance with its safe disposal, please see our disposals page.

How do I complete the survey?
The first step to completing the survey is to establish if each of your sealed sources are classified as Short-Lived or Long-Lived sources. Short lived sources will decay to an exempt level within 300 years. Long-lived sources will still be over the exempt limit after 300 years of decay.

For each source, create a new waste stream ID in the appropriate sheet of the template provided by the ARW. Sources can be bundled into a single stream, if identical. However, in most cases a waste stream per source is appropriate. Complete all the columns for each waste stream. If a value is unknown enter ‘TBA’, and in the comments advise when this will be available.

Once each waste stream is complete the Radionuclide Concentration and Activity sheets can be completed referencing each waste stream.

Most data should be available from source certificates provided by the manufacturer of the source, additional data should be calculated based of these values.

If you need assistance completing the survey, Nuclear Australia’s team of experts can assist by completing the survey based on your existing records. Please contact us for assistance.

Get in touch with us at Nuclear Australia for more assistance: +61 3 8770 6565

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Published 08/12/2021

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Radiation
Management Plans

Radiation Management Plan

Radiation Management Plans

Radiation management plans provide the safety map for any organisation which utilises radiation within their practices. Many industries use radiation for precision detection, measurement and quality control in applications such as:

  • Cs137 fixed radiation gauges, for measuring a physical characteristic of a manufacturing process.
  • X-ray fluorescence (XRF), for determining the chemical makeup of a sample.
  • Non-destructive testing (NDT), for inspecting welds and other safety critical infrastructure.
  • Am241 or X-Ray fill height detectors, to ensure cans or bottles are full on bottling lines.

Additionally, a radiation management plan must be in place for any organisation involved in the safe transport and storage of radiation. This would be applicable for dangerous goods transport providers. And for any organisation whose employees work with or around radiation in the field.

A radiation management plan details the important information relevant to the practices performed and the guidelines which must be followed to ensure the protection of people and the environment.

The items which a radiation management plan must cover are detailed in the Codes of Practice published by ARPANSA and each radiation practice has it’s own detailed code. Additionally, general codes for transport, protection of people and the environment must be followed. Each state of Australia also has their own radiation acts outlining the regulatory process involved in performing a radiation practice. Broadly, a radiation management plan should cover:

  • General details and contact information relevant to the radiation management license.
  • Site details for the location of the radiation source.
  • Staff training requirements and list of current training and qualification levels.
  • Calculations and reasoning for employee radiation exposure.
  • Methods of tracking employee radiation exposure.
  • Radiation safety equipment and information about radiation detection and monitoring.
  • Procedures for the acquisition or disposal of a radiation source, in accordance with relevant regulations.
  • Procedures for the safe storage of radiation sources.
  • Incident reporting.
  • Emergency procedures and contacts.

The radiation management plan must also show justifications for why the radiation practice is being performed and outline how to ensure all radiation exposure is As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) while allowing for social and economic considerations.

A key topic included in a radiation management plan is the delegation of roles to individuals in the organisation. A responsible person must be identified and is charged with the ongoing radiation safety on the site. This person is typically the CEO or Director of the company, but the duties are usually delegated to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO). It is crucial that roles and responsibilities are delegated appropriately and documented in the radiation management plan to ensure radiation safety is responsibly managed.

It is required that this document be regularly reviewed and maintained in accordance with any changes within the organisation, the site, or regulatory guidelines.

With the upcoming implementation of the Code for Radiation Protection in Planned Exposure Situations (2020), RPS C-1 (Rev.1) by ARPANSA, state regulators will require radiation management plans when license holders submit variations to their license or when applying for a new license. It is imperative organisations implement a detailed and complete radiation management plan to ensure they can continue to maintain their license and subsequent business operations.

 

Designing Your Radiation Management Plan

At Nuclear Australia, our skilled specialists will work in consultation with your organisation to design your radiation management plan. We possess an in-depth knowledge of radiation safety and regulatory guidelines and strive to ensure that our radiation management plans provide a minimalization of risk and optimise protection around radiation apparatuses. Our service can include a visit to the site to assess any radiation hazards and detail the radiation safety practices for the apparatus and source at each location.

From our experience in developing and delivering radiation safety training to site employees, we understand the importance of providing clear information regarding risk and protection measures, in a way which is comprehensible to those who otherwise may not be familiar with radiation.

It is important that the radiation management plan layout be one which allows for information to be located quickly and ensures that priority information such as safety procedures and emergency contacts are designated clearly and are easily accessible. And that all regulatory requirements are satisfied, within the scope of the nuances within your organisation, site infrastructure and source specifications. With all of this in mind, it is essential to have an expert consultant create your radiation management plan for you.

The regulatory framework within which your radiation practice must operate can be hard to navigate if you aren’t familiar with the processes. This is why every Nuclear Australia authored radiation management plan also includes detailed instructions for how to make changes such as replacing a source, ceasing a practice or disposing of an apparatus on your radiation license, specific to your jurisdiction.

Having a vast experience working within the radiation industry and providing compliance services, Nuclear Australia is a leader in the design and provision of radiation management plans.

Need a new Radiation Management Plan or a review of your current plan?

Get in touch with us at Nuclear Australia for more assistance: +61 3 8770 6565

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Type A Package
Design and Verification

Type A Package Design and Verification for Radiation Sources

Radioactive products play an important role in our modern age. Their use is applicable across a range of industries including manufacturing, mining and medicine. Specifically, this material is essential in the advanced diagnosis and treatment of some cancers. While these products are used worldwide, the packages within which they are transported must meet specific requirements.

The packages which have been specifically designed for international transport are thoroughly tested and verified to ensure that they meet strict criteria and adhere to regulations.

The two main packages used for transporting non-exempt amounts of radioactive products are Type A and Type B.

The type of package required is dictated by:

  • Type of radiation
  • Activity level of the source intended to be carried
  • Validity of the Special Form certificate for the source capsule, if the activity of the source exceeds the A2 value for the particular isotope

Depending on these factors the appropriate package type can be selected.

Type A packages are the simplest and most cost-effective package for the transport of radioactive products. Type A packages are internationally defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and must meet the regulations specified within the current design regulations. The current standard is the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material 2018 (SSR-6).

This document outlines all of the safety standards which a Type A package must meet. This includes extensive physical tests that the package is subjected to in order to verify the integrity of its structure during transport. By subjecting the package to a range of potential incidents and measuring any changes, we can verify the safety of the contained material according to stringent requirements.

Design Reviews

At Nuclear Australia, we design and verify Type A packages for our customers, particularly for the pharmaceutical industry where liquid isotopes for patient therapies are used. Type A packages must be shown to meet all the requirements in the SSR-6 through a comprehensive design review and a number of physical tests.

To ensure a design meets these requirements Nuclear Australia engineers first analyze the design to ensure all requirements are met through computer simulations and the modeling of its mechanical and attenuation properties. This includes documenting the design against every requirement of the SSR. For example, SSR-6 Requirement 613A states the package should take into account ageing mechanisms. Therefore, a design that quickly wears should not be used or alternatively, the package should be designated for single use only.

Physical Testing

Once the design review has been completed it must be subjected to a number of physical tests. A standard Type A package must be subjected to:

1) Water Spray Test

To simulate light rainfall for one hour prior to each of the destructive tests. This is to ensure that the package can withstand water and is not physically compromised by rain. This is particularly relevant for cardboard and wooden packages.

2) Stacking Test

The package is stacked with five times its mass applied to its top surface to ensure it will not compress and reduce its external dimensions.

3) Drop Test

The package is dropped from a height of 1.2m onto a steel hardstand to test its ability to contain the isotope inside if it was dropped in transit.

4) Puncture Test

A steel bar of 6kg in weight is dropped onto the package from a height of 1m. This is to ensure that should the package be hit by a falling object, it would not be punctured and affect the secure containment of the isotope inside.

Type A packages which carry liquid must also be subjected to the following tests:

5) Puncture Test (1.7m)

To ensure that the liquid contained in a Type A package will not escape in the worst case scenario. The same steel bar as above must also be dropped from 1.7m.

6) Free Fall Drop Test

The most extreme and spectacular test of a Type A package is the free fall drop test where the package is dropped from 9m and enters into free fall. This is to simulate falling off a rack while in transit. Although the package can be significantly damaged, it must not release the liquid from containment.

Compliance

Once all these tests are complete, Nuclear Australia will create a certificate of compliance and issue it to the customer to signify that the package meets the requirements set out in SSR-6 and is fit for transport.

Labeling

Packages which transport radioactive products are classified as dangerous goods and must carry the Dangerous Goods 7 stickers with the nuclear trefoil attached. The package is classified as 1, 2 or 3 and this is calculated based upon the Transport Index (TI) of the package. The Transport index is the reading on a survey meter located 1m from the package in micro sieverts (uSv) divided by 10. This transport index is also written on the package so that those handling the package can care for it appropriately.

Need package design or verification for radioactive source transportation?

Get in touch with us at Nuclear Australia for more assistance: +61 3 8770 6565

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SaphyGATE G
Radiation Portal Monitors

SaphyGate G Radiation Portal Monitor

Bertin’s SaphyGATE G Range of Radiation Portal Monitors

Bertin Technologies’ SaphyGate G range of radiation portal monitors is optimised to detect radioactivity in trucks, trains and cargo. This system is compliant with international standards, including IEC62022, and offers a protection grade of IP 65. 

Why you need a radiation portal monitor on site

Radiation portal monitors are essential for the detection and prevention of the movement of contaminated material. This device offers security to a wide range of industries including metal recycling, mining, border control and facilities which contain radioactive sources.

This highly sensitive system is a vanguard in the screening of radioactivity with its ability to measure and determine radioactivity separate to background levels. Thereby, providing highly effective control of vehicles moving into or out of an area.

Introducing the SaphyGate G

The SaphyGate G range of radiation portal monitors are detection monitors positioned on two pillars, which automatically screen vehicles for radioactivity.

 


Check out the SaphyGate G in action

The system’s innovative algorithm was designed to compensate for radioactive background attenuation induced by the vehicle’s presence through its digital multichannel analyser.

The combination of the high volume plastic scintillators, the spectrometry electronic board and algorithm, ensures reliability and performance in alarm classification.

Contained in a hermetic aluminium box, it was designed to withstand extreme weather conditions and works effectively in temperatures from -20°C to +50°C (–4°F to +122°F).

Its ability to detect energy levels from 30keV to 7 MeV makes this an appropriate, efficient and effective system for cargo transport and freight security.

One of Nuclear Australia’s onsite installations of the SaphyGate G50 for a client in South Australia

Nuclear Australia’s experienced engineers have implemented this system within various industries and sites nationwide. We will work with your specific requirements in order to create an effective solution for the radiological management of your site.

Download the datasheet and brochure, or refer to our SaphyGATE product page to find out more about the SaphyGATE G range.

Located in Australia and need a radiation portal monitor for your premises?

Get in touch with us at Nuclear Australia for a commitment-free quote for your own SaphyGATE and on-premise installation services! 

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