Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Audit of Sealed Source Controls
Summary
Background
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulates sealed sources in Canada under the authority of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA). A sealed source is a radioactive nuclear substance in a sealed capsule. The CNSC has implemented a system of control processes to account for sealed sources in Canada throughout their lifecycles. This system includes the National Sealed Source Registry (NSSR) and the Sealed Source Tracking System (SSTS). The SSTS was implemented in January 2006 to track sealed sources in Canada. Strengthened controls on the import and export of high risk Category 1 and 2 sealed sources were added to the Import and Export Controls (IEC) Regulatory Program in April 2007 to control the movement of sealed sources into and out of Canada. Sealed source tracking is mandatory in Canada for high risk sources.
Focus of the Audit
The objective of the audit was to provide assurance to the President and Senior Management of the CNSC on the adequacy and effectiveness of controls established by the CNSC for the purpose of tracking sealed sources.
The audit examined controls established by the CNSC for tracking sealed sources, including the NSSR/SSTS, the IEC and relevant compliance activities. The NSSR/SSTS is managed by the Regulatory Operations Branch of the CNSC. Import and export controls are managed by the Technical Support Branch of the CNSC. The audit did not examine licensing processes related to sealed sources. Audit work was carried out between September 2008 and January 2009, with additional audit procedures conducted June to August 2009.
