Public Information Program
We are a leader in protecting the health and safety of our employees and neighbours, and our operations continually exceed the standards set by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). Meeting or exceeding the CNSC requirements, we do our part to protect the health, safety, environment and security of Canadians. And, through our Public Information Disclosure Program (PIDP), we are committed to open public communications.
Public Disclosure Protocol
Our Public Information Disclosure Program (PIDP) is designed to ensure that information related to the health, safety and security of persons and the environment – and other issues associated with the lifecycle of our nuclear facility – are effectively communicated to those of you who live in our community.
The PIDP relates to CNSC-licensed activities of our Laval facility and includes a commitment to and a protocol for ongoing, timely communications.
We invite you to visit our Public Disclosures to learn about disclosures we have made.
Nuclear Compliance
As a world-class provider of services in the regulated nuclear industry, we comply with a variety of standards and regulations.
These are set by regulatory bodies in Canada and throughout the world and define environmental, health and safety; legal; and other requirements related to the possession, handling, transportation, export and import of nuclear substances.
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC): The CNSC regulates the nuclear industry in Canada. The Nuclear Safety and Control Act and Regulations govern nuclear substance use in Canada.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. We are committed to comply with IAEA requirements as adopted by regulatory bodies from which we hold licenses.
Employee Safety
We are committed to keeping the exposure to radiation for our employees, as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) with social and economic factors considered.
We have implemented a conventional health and safety program to manage workplace safety hazards and to protect employees. This program complies with Part II of the Canada Labour Code, as well as to the Canada Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA) and it regulations. The program encompasses performance, practices and awareness.
Corporate Safety
We manage a Radiation Protection Program in accordance with CNSC Radiation Protection Regulations. The program ensures that contamination levels and radiation doses received by individuals are monitored, controlled and maintained as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). The program encompasses the following.
Application of ALARA/Worker Dose Control: Annually, we establish ALARA objectives with the goal to maintain radiation doses as per the ALARA principle and well below the CNSC regulatory dose limits. Recent results are provided in our Annual Compliance Report on the Public Disclosures page.
Estimated Dose to the Public: We monitor environmental gamma by performing radiation shield surveys according to the CNSC regulations. The survey results have historically shown that the levels of gamma radiation at those monitoring locations are in the range of natural background. These results indicate that we are not contributing to dose at—and beyond—the perimeter of the facility.
Radiation Protection Program Performance: We set annual targets for performance of our Radiation Protection Program. The results of the program are reported annually to the CNSC and the CNSC’s annual assessment of this program indicates that it continues to be acceptable.
Environmental Management
Nordion’s GCE is ISO 14001:2004 certified. This certification is an internationally recognized standard which specifies the actual requirements for an environmental management system (EMS) and for controlling and improving a company’s environmental performance. Certification of our EMS provides assurance to our customers, regulators, and the community that we have a sound EMS and sound operating practices that meet stringent requirements acceptable to international standards.
