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Regulatory Oversight Report on the Use of Nuclear Substances in Canada: 2020

Executive summary

This document presents the regulatory oversight report (ROR) produced by the CNSC’s Directorate of Nuclear Substance Regulation (DNSR) for the activities falling under its regulatory responsibilities: the use of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in the medical, industrial, academic and research, and commercial sectors. This report also covers select waste nuclear substance licensees, regulated by the CNSC’s Directorate of Nuclear Cycle and Facilities Regulation, which are not reported on in other RORs.

To assess the safety performance of the licensees covered by this ROR, CNSC staff conducted regulatory oversight activities throughout 2020, including inspections, reviews of reports submitted by licensees, reviews of events and incidents, and general communication and exchanges of information with licensees. The results of these oversight activities show that the use of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in Canada remains safe and secure.

In addition to performance results, the report provides the Commission with information about stakeholder engagement, which is a critical element of the CNSC’s regulatory approach. Given the breadth of licensees regulated in the area of nuclear substances, a particular focus is on reaching and engaging with licensee communities.

In 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic impacted CNSC staff and licensees, as it did every other aspect of Canadian society. The CNSC activated its Business Continuity Plan on March 15, 2020, and all non-critical oversight activities, including routine onsite inspections, were suspended. While access to CNSC systems was initially limited, which temporarily affected licensing- and certification-related activities, the CNSC ensured that staff received the necessary equipment to work remotely within a short time frame. As a result, and owing to the fact that the licensing and certification processes for nuclear substances and prescribed equipment were already largely digital, CNSC staff were able to conduct these activities with effectively no interruption of service during the pandemic. The biggest impact of the pandemic was on compliance activities, with the constraints on onsite inspections due to local health guidelines requiring CNSC staff to pivot to remote inspections for most of 2020.

Due to the pause in inspections in the early stages of the pandemic, as well as the fact that remote inspections take longer than onsite inspections, CNSC staff conducted fewer inspections in 2020 – less than half the number of a typical year. This reduction in inspections unavoidably introduces an incremental increase in risk, taking into account that the prime responsibility for safety remains with the licensees. However, it is important to consider this risk in context: While it is possible that fewer inspections could lead to a slight increase in the probability of unsafe work practices among the licensees covered by this ROR, the consequences of any resulting incidents remain relatively low (on average) due to the nature of the nuclear substances and prescribed equipment used by these licensees.

Nonetheless, CNSC staff have continued to treat any risk seriously; in line with this practice, staff undertook steps in 2020 to mitigate any risks introduced by the reduction in inspections:

  • The revisions to the 2020 inspection plan were made on a risk-informed basis, with the revised plan maintaining a focus on the highest-risk category of licensees; in the end, CNSC staff were successful in exceeding the revised plan for these high-risk inspections.
  • CNSC staff continued to monitor other performance indicators, including reviewing annual compliance reports and reported events.
  • CNSC staff maintained their capacity to respond quickly (in person, if necessary) to any reported event that could pose an immediate risk to health and safety.
  • CNSC staff engaged in a campaign to reach out to the licensees, to assess their status and remind them of their responsibility for safety.

As a result of these measures, it is CNSC staff’s conclusion that the incremental increase in risk due to the reduction in inspections in 2020 remained acceptable. This conclusion is substantiated by the 2020 performance results presented in this ROR, which remained consistent with previous years and continued to demonstrate high levels of compliance across the sectors covered. That being said, it is important to note that the smaller sample size of inspections in 2020 makes it challenging to compare performance results year over year. The true impact on performance because of the pandemic will only be evident after trending data over a number of years – this is something that CNSC staff will continue to monitor closely.

While the increased risk after a year of fewer inspections remains manageable, a continued reduction in inspections moving forward could raise this risk. As such, CNSC staff will continue to apply a risk-informed approach to compliance oversight and inspection planning, as the risk from COVID-19 changes. 

Based on the CNSC’s strong regulatory oversight, flexibility, and immediate action responding to the pandemic, the evaluations presented in this report demonstrate the following:

  • Compliance performance across all sectors was generally high, with licensees undertaking appropriate corrective actions for any instances of non-compliance.
  • All enforcement actions issued in 2020 were closed in a timely way.
  • Doses to workers remained generally low, with 3 out of the 58,967 workers monitored reporting doses above the annual regulatory limit. While none of these resulted in negative health effects, the CNSC takes any exceedances of a regulatory dose limit seriously and requires the licensee to perform an acceptable investigation so the situation is not repeated.
  • All reported events were of low or negligible safety significance.
  • Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the CNSC’s risk-informed approach ensured the safety of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in Canada.

Use of nuclear substances in Canada: 2020

The Regulatory Oversight Report on the Use of Nuclear Substances in Canada: 2020 summarizes the safety performance of 1,496 licensees, which hold a total of 2,079 licences. The CNSC authorizes licensees to use nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in the medical, industrial, academic and research, and commercial sectors. For a full description of the licensees covered within this report, refer to the technical briefing to the Commission on nuclear substances in Canada (CMD 18-M49) Additional data on licensees is available in appendix A.

This ROR includes certain waste nuclear substances licensees that are not covered in any other CNSC ROR. By request of the Commission, appendix A.6 specifically provides additional information on Mississauga Metals and Alloys, related to the record of decision for their exemption request.

CNSC staff use many metrics to evaluate licensees’ safety performance. This report uses a subset of these metrics, which – when taken together – will provide a well-rounded picture of performance for the licensees covered by this report. The metrics used in this report are:

  • compliance performance
  • enforcement actions
  • doses to workers
  • reported events

To measure compliance performance, CNSC staff use a well-established Safety and Control Area Framework. The framework includes 14 safety and control areas (SCAs) covering all technical areas of regulatory oversight. While CNSC staff review and assess performance in each SCA (if applicable), the ROR covers only those that are most useful and applicable in providing a good overall indication of the safety performance of the licensees. These are: management system, operating performance, radiation protection, and security. The waste nuclear substance licensees included in this report are covered within the commercial sector. They are the only licensees presenting performance data for the environmental protection and the conventional health and safety SCAs. This is because, unlike the nuclear substance licensees, waste nuclear substance licensees have the potential for environmental releases as well as a potentially higher risk in the area of conventional health and safety.

In the past, stakeholders have requested that the packaging and transport SCA be included in this ROR. CNSC staff acknowledge that this is an important SCA, given the high volume of transport activities associated with nuclear substance licensees. However, since the packaging and transport SCA does not apply universally to all nuclear substance licensees, it would be challenging to present performance data in a meaningful way in the ROR. Instead, a review of the reported events related to packaging and transport provides a more meaningful indicator for this SCA – see section 4.0, Reported events , for an analysis of this indicator.

In addition to the standard review of performance indicators, the 2020 ROR includes a specific analysis of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on DNSR’s regulatory oversight. After resolving system access challenges in the early weeks of the stay-at-home order, CNSC staff were able to maintain licensing and certification services under remote working conditions throughout 2020. Even prior to the pandemic, these activities were largely digital, resulting in minimal impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, compliance efforts were affected by pandemic-related limitations to air and local travel, and due to the fact that some licensees limited their operations because of the pandemic. For example, some licensees in the medical sector were operating at reduced capacity and for 2 to 3 days per week, whereas other medical licensees were operating normally but with restricted activities to accommodate clinically urgent patients. In the industrial sector, some construction sites were closed and limiting site access, some staff were working from home, and some were working with restrictions to their activities.

As such, DNSR had to revise its original inspection plan to account for these constraints. The original (pre-pandemic) plan called for approximately 750 inspections; CNSC staff continued to monitor changing conditions throughout the year and adjusted the plan accordingly, ultimately planning approximately 300 inspections for 2020. The revisions were conducted on a risk-informed basis, with priority given to the highest-risk inspections. In the end, staff successfully exceeded the plan, conducting a total of 371 inspections in 2020. Of these, 178 were remote inspections and 193 were onsite. A detailed description of compliance effort during the pandemic is included below in section 1.6.

This ROR includes data in both the body and appendices; the main body of the report provides a high-level overview of the CNSC’s regulatory efforts, along with the licensees’ performance; the detailed data to support this overview is found in the appendices.

1.0 Compliance performance

Appendix B covers the full 2020 performance data, broken down by SCA, by sector and by subsector. In addition, the data shows the 5-year performance trends within each of these categories.

During licensing and compliance activities, CNSC staff evaluate the licensee’s performance within each relevant SCA by reviewing licensee documents and conducting inspections. Owing to the broad nature of the different activities conducted by the licensees covered, not all SCAs apply to all activities or all licensees. All relevant SCAs are assessed during compliance inspections and reviews of licensees’ documents, and a compliance rating is assigned for each SCA. Each SCA covers multiple items. Some of these are administrative in nature and are considered relatively low risk, while others are linked to an immediate risk to health, safety or security, and therefore any findings against these items during an inspection must be addressed immediately.

CNSC staff track and follow up on all required corrective actions arising from below-satisfactory performance, to ensure that all items of non-compliance are addressed to the satisfaction of the CNSC. For any instances of non-compliance that pose immediate risk to health, safety or security, enforcement actions may be taken, such as the issuance of orders. Administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) may also be used as part of a graduated approach to compliance, for issues that do not pose an immediate risk to health or safety. A description of the ratings is provided in appendix G.

Staff perform inspections to review and report on the licensees’ performance under the subset of SCAs evaluated. The following 4 SCAs are the most relevant indicators of safety performance for licensees in the sectors covered in this ROR: management system, operating performance, radiation protection and security. These SCAs apply to most of the licensees and together provide an indication of licensees’ overall safety performance. The exception is the waste nuclear substance licensees, for which this ROR presents performance results under 2 additional SCAs: environmental protection and conventional health and safety. A brief overview of each of these SCAs is provided below, with more details provided in appendix B.

Overall, as with past years, licensees showed satisfactory compliance ratings in the SCAs evaluated. A list of inspections performed in 2020 is available in appendix F. Where items of non-compliance were identified, CNSC staff ensured that licensees took appropriate corrective actions. Licensees immediately addressed any items of non-compliance that had immediate risks to health, safety or security.

Appendix B.5 presents the inspection results by subsector, which provide another perspective on licensee performance in 2020. These results demonstrate that the performance of the nuclear medicine subsector continues to be lower than that of other subsectors, particularly in the operating performance and radiation protection SCAs. CNSC staff continue to work on promoting compliance within this subsector, although progress on this front was difficult in 2020, given the challenges in inspecting nuclear medicine licensees this past year. For example, accessing hospitals was difficult during the pandemic, and CNSC staff furthermore recognized that these licensees needed to prioritize their resources on the response to COVID-19. As a result, the small number of inspections conducted for this subsector focused on those licensees for which CNSC staff felt that additional regulatory oversight was required, whether due to poor past performance or because the inspections for those licensees were overdue. CNSC staff will continue to monitor this subsector in the future, to see if further regulatory response is required.

Even though numbers of inspections decreased due to limitations to travel and access to licensee sites, analysis of all licensee data demonstrated that performance ratings were similar to those of previous years across all SCAs at the sector level. DNSR continued to use a risk-informed approach to inspections, and other compliance activities continued, such as reviews of annual compliance reports (ACRs), events, and dose data. Despite the lower number of inspections performed in 2020, CNSC staff are confident that the performance trends identified are a true indication of licensee performance. On the other hand, the smaller sample size in 2020 makes it challenging to compare results year over year. This means it is not possible to draw meaningful conclusions from any apparent upward or downward trending in performance this year. As regulatory activities return to normal in the future, subsequent RORs will more accurately identify any deviations in trends. DNSR will closely monitor performance in the coming years, to understand future impacts and adjust the regulatory oversight approach as required.

1.1 Management system

In 2020, licensees continued to maintain strong performance in the management system SCA. Overall, 96% of the licensees inspected received ratings of satisfactory for this SCA, and there were no unacceptable ratings. The management system SCA has been performing with similar results over the past few years.

Refer to appendix B.1 for additional information.

1.2 Operating performance

Licensees’ performance in the operating performance SCA slightly decreased from previous years. Of the licensees inspected, 83% received ratings of satisfactory for this SCA. There were no unacceptable ratings in this SCA.

Refer to appendix B.2 for additional information.

1.3 Radiation protection

Licensees’ overall performance in the radiation protection SCA improved, with 84% of licensees receiving ratings of satisfactory in 2020, compared to 80% in 2019. Even though the total number of inspections was lower, the percentage of compliance for 2020 is similar to the previous 5 years performance for radiation protection. These ratings need to be considered in the context of lower numbers of inspections, and the reader should not place too much emphasis on these numbers as indicative of overall performance trending.

It is important to note that the revised Radiation Protection Regulations came into effect late in the reporting period for this ROR. Therefore, while a downturn in performance is possible immediately following the implementation of new regulatory requirements, no impact is yet evident but there may be impacts for the 2021 ROR. Refer to appendix B.3 for additional information.

One licensee, in the industrial sector, received an unacceptable rating for radiation protection. As a result, CNSC staff issued an order. The licensee has complied with the terms of the order and put corrective measures in place to address all items of non-compliance found during the routine Type II inspection that led to the issuance of the order. The order is now closed; see appendix C, table 17, for more details.

1.4 Security

In 2020, licensees’ performance in the security SCA remained consistent with the previous 5 years, with 93% of the licensees inspected demonstrating they had adequate provisions in place to prevent the loss, sabotage, illegal use or illegal removal of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in their care and control.

DNSR licensees continued to maintain strong compliance with applicable security regulatory requirements, including the general requirements contained in the General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulations, as well as in REGDOC-2.12.3, Security of Nuclear Substances: Sealed Sources and Category I, II and III Nuclear Material, applicable to sealed sources and radiation devices. REGDOC‑2.12.3 came into force as a requirement for Category 1 and 2 sealed sources/radiation devices in May 2015, and for Category 3, 4 and 5 sealed sources/radiation devices in May 2018. In spite of an initial, and expected, reduction in compliance ratings following these new regulatory requirements coming into force, data in the ROR’s tables and graphs shows that licensees have regained their compliance with requirements under the security SCA.

Refer to appendix B.4 for additional information.

1.5 Environmental protection and conventional health and safety

Performance in the environmental protection SCA and conventional health and safety SCA for 2020 are reported on only for the waste nuclear substance subsector. No waste nuclear substance licensees received below-expectations or unacceptable ratings in the environmental protection SCA. The waste nuclear substance licensees continued to manage and monitor environmental releases as a result of licensed activities. These releases were kept well below regulatory limits. There were 2 unplanned releases to the environment as a result of licensed activities in 2020. However, the radioactivity concentration of the first release was below unconditional clearance levels, and the radioactivity concentration of the second release was well below the licensees’ action levels. Therefore, the releases had no impact on the health, safety and security of persons or the environment.

No waste nuclear substance licensees received below-expectations or unacceptable ratings in the conventional health and safety SCA. The licensees continued to implement health and safety programs in accordance with the applicable occupational health and safety legislation to protect the health and safety of their workers.

1.6   Compliance efforts during the pandemic

At the beginning of the pandemic, to ensure CNSC staff and licensee safety, the CNSC suspended all onsite inspections. During this pause in inspections, staff worked to establish contact with licensees to review their status of operations. For the most part, licensees were continuing to operate, in some manner, despite the pandemic. Once staff were comfortable with their knowledge about licensee operations, work pivoted to developing an approach for safely and effectively conducting compliance oversight under pandemic conditions. The initial inspection plan was revised to account for the time lost during the early lockdown, leading to an approximately 25% reduction in planned inspections. At the same time, CNSC staff devised processes and procedures for conducting remote inspections, along with a modified compliance verification strategy to help guide the decision as to which type of inspection to conduct, depending on the changing circumstances of the pandemic. (See section 1.7 for more information on the experience with remote inspections.) Successive waves of the pandemic throughout the year, combined with the realization that remote inspections were taking longer than originally expected, led to ongoing adjustments to the inspection plan. The original plan of approximately 750 inspections was ultimately reduced to approximately 300 planned inspections. In the end, CNSC staff successfully exceeded this plan, conducting a total of 371 inspections in 2020 – 178 of these were remote inspections and 193 were onsite.

As always, CNSC staff applied a risk-informed approach to developing the initial inspection plan and then to updating the plan for each successive adjustment, maintaining at all times a focus on the highest-priority inspections. All high-priority inspections in the revised 2020 plan were completed.

The 371 inspections conducted in 2020 represent approximately half the number carried out in a typical year. This reduction in inspections decreases the CNSC’s ability to confirm the safe performance of its licensees. In addition, the reduced presence of inspectors onsite could lead to a decrease in licensee compliance with regulatory requirements. This does not mean that fewer inspections automatically lead to an abrupt or significant spike in risk, but rather that the reduction could introduce a gradual increase in the probability that some licensees would engage in unsafe work practices. To put this in perspective, the CNSC has an established risk profile for the sectors covered by this ROR, which concludes that the consequences of an accident in these sectors (on average) would be relatively low. This is because many licensees in these sectors deal with sealed sources contained in radiation devices or relatively small amounts of nuclear substances, with relatively low levels of radiation. By contrast, the risk profile has assessed the probability of an accident to be relatively high, due in part to the large number of licensees covered. A reduction in inspections could lead to an incremental increase in the probability of unsafe work practices leading to an accident, but would not increase the consequences of such an accident – as a result, the total risk level would only increase by a small amount.

In addition to this analysis of the risk profile, it is important to remember that inspections are not the only element of the CNSC’s compliance oversight. Throughout 2020, CNSC staff continued to review annual compliance reports submitted by licensees and continued to monitor reported events. Both of these activities provide valuable indicators of safe performance. With all of this taken into account, CNSC staff have concluded that the risk posed by the reduced number of inspections conducted in 2020 remains acceptable.

That being said, CNSC staff recognize that conducting a reduced number of annual inspections is not sustainable going forward. There is a potential for licensee performance to decrease if not inspected regularly. In addition, reduced compliance performance information that would typically be gathered during onsite inspections would eventually impact CNSC staff’s ability to make risk-informed licensing decisions. As such, staff are currently focused on recalibrating the CNSC’s regulatory oversight of nuclear substances licensees by steadily increasing the number of onsite inspections as vaccination rates rise and the risks from COVID-19 continue to decline. At the same time, CNSC staff will continue to make use of the advantages offered by remote inspections, which are further described in the next section.    

1.7 Remote inspections

As noted, CNSC staff developed a modified compliance verification strategy in order to guide the decisions on which type of compliance activity (onsite or remote) to perform during the pandemic. These decisions were made on a case-by-case basis, based on the status of the pandemic at that time, with the priority placed on the health and safety of both CNSC and licensee staff.

Fortunately, many inspections could be conducted remotely and staff verified most of the same criteria that would normally be checked as part of an onsite inspection. Remote verification was limited to the examination of records and photos provided by the licensee as well as to the conduct of basic interviews with the radiation safety officer (RSO). Where possible, staff used videoconferencing software to observe work being performed. Staff deferred some inspections where it was not possible to perform them remotely. These fell into 2 main categories:

  • inspections where verification of specific security-related regulatory requirements was not possible over remote means due to the sensitivity of information that needed to be exchanged
  • inspections where independent verification by an inspector was required or where remote inspection technology was not available

Staff identified 2 main challenges to remote inspections: having a reliable and secure platform for meeting with the licensee and having an efficient way for licensees to securely send large amounts of documentation. In addition, remote inspections have proven to take longer than expected and have typically taken longer to conduct than onsite inspections.

In the spirit of continuous improvement, staff collected and analyzed licensee feedback related to the remote-inspection process. While licensees all reported that the process was effective and believed it was a positive experience, data gathering and the submission of the requested records were challenging.

Despite the shift to remote inspections, staff continued to respond onsite for events, to issue enforcement actions or to perform specific onsite compliance activities if warranted. Staff performed any onsite oversight activities on a risk-informed basis in observance of relevant COVID-19 health protocols.

While they can be effective under certain circumstances, remote inspections do not provide a complete assessment of all performance-based activities. In comparison, onsite inspections allow staff to make better use of visual clues during interviews and they eliminate some of the limitations related to protected document access as well as physical observations of workers performing their tasks. Furthermore, the initial assumption was that remote inspections would take less time overall to complete. However, the opposite was observed due to the additional planning required and logistical steps involved in planning remote inspections. Overall, while they are not sufficient on their own, remote inspections provide staff with a functional tool to monitor compliance and they will remain part of the compliance program moving forward, in combination with onsite inspections. Staff are now well placed to address any future disruptions in their ability to conduct onsite inspections during exceptional circumstances.

2.0 Enforcement

Appendix C presents enforcement action data by sector over the past 5 years.

The CNSC uses a graduated approach to enforcement to encourage compliance. When non-compliance (or continued non-compliance) has been identified, CNSC staff assess the significance of the non-compliance and determine the appropriate enforcement action.

In 2020, the CNSC issued 4 orders and 2 AMPs to licensees. Half of these enforcement actions were issued as a result of remote inspections, which further demonstrates the effectiveness of the CNSC’s regulatory oversight during a pandemic.

As DNSR completed roughly half the typical number of inspections per year, it was also observed that enforcement actions issued were also roughly half the typical number issued, compared to the number in 2019. Although affected by many variables, enforcement actions tend to be issued as a result of inspections; as such, fewer inspections typically result in fewer enforcement actions. Most of the enforcement actions were taken against licensees in the industrial sector, consistent with trends from previous years. All enforcement actions are closed, and the CNSC is satisfied that the licensees have addressed the conditions of the orders/AMPs.

3.0 Effective doses to workers

Appendix D presents the full datasets and additional information on effective doses to workers in 2020.

Licensees are required to keep radiation doses to persons below regulatory limits and as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) in accordance with their radiation protection program referenced in their licence.

In 2020, doses were monitored for 58,967 workers in the 4 sectors. Of those workers, 22,861 were nuclear energy workers (NEWs). The remaining 36,106 were not designated as NEWs and are referred to as non-NEWs in this report. Exposures to radiation continued to be very low for workers covered in this ROR for 2020, consistent with previous reporting years.

In 2020, no NEWs received doses above the regulatory limit of 50 mSv per calendar year, while 3 non‑NEWs reported dosimetry readings above the applicable dose limit of 1 mSv per calendar year. The 3 instances are described in the following paragraphs.

A non-NEW received a cumulative effective dose of 1.3 mSv, across 2 dosimetry periods. The worker first received a dose of 0.93 mSv during the January to March 2020 period. While not above the annual regulatory dose limit, the dose exceeded the licensee’s action level. Under typical circumstances, the licensee would have removed the worker from any work likely to result in a further dose, in order to avoid exceeding the annual limit. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a delay in submission of dosimeters to the licensed dosimetry service provider, which caused a delay in the licensee becoming aware of the action level exceedance. As a result, the worker was allowed to continue working and received a further dose of 0.37 mSv during the July to September 2020 period. (The worker did not receive a dose during the April to June 2020 period, as no work was performed then due to the pandemic.) The licensee determined that the worker did not follow the established safe work practices, which led to a higher than normal personal dose. An event initial report (EIR) was presented to the Commission in January 2021 in CMD 21-M10.

A non-NEW received an effective dose of 3.54 mSv, as reported for the October to December 2019 dosimetry period. Although this falls outside the period covered by this ROR, the radiation safety officer received the dosimetry report from the National Dosimetry Service in March 2020, which is why this dose is included in the 2020 data. The licensee determined that part of the dose was non-occupational and was received while the worker was caring for a relative who had undergone a nuclear medicine test in November 2019. The licensee’s investigation was unable to identify with certainty any specific incident or event that could have resulted in a total dose reading of 3.54 mSv. A dose change request for the portion of the dose that was demonstrated to be non-occupational was approved. An EIR was presented to the Commission in September 2020 in CMD 20-M27.

A dosimeter assigned to a non-NEW worker recorded a dose of 1.28 mSv for the April to June 2020 period. The worker was only assigned to an area with a potential for dose exposure for 6 days out of the 3-month dosimetry period and, as is typical practice for this licensee, the employees work in teams of at least 2 people. All dosimetry reports for the other workers showed no dose received. The worker who received the dose did not lose control of the dosimeter or leave the premises with it. Considering that no excess dose was received by the other worker, and that there were no reported failures in access control procedures nor equipment failures during that period, it is highly unlikely that this dose was received from activities regulated by the CNSC. Nonetheless, it remains in the 2020 data.

4.0 Reported events

Appendix E describes each event reported in 2020.

Licensees are required to have programs in place to manage unplanned events and accidents. The events that warrant mandatory reporting and the content of the reports are set out in the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA), its regulations and the licence conditions. CNSC staff review, assess and track all events reported by licensees.

Since 2014, reported events have been rated using the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES), a tool for communicating the safety significance of nuclear and radiological events to the public. Note that the scale is not a tool for comparing safety performances among facilities or organizations, but rather for effectively communicating the safety significance of events.

CNSC staff assessed 135 events related to nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in 2020 as seen in appendix E, figure 17. Of these events, 126 were rated as INES level 0 (no safety significance) and 7 as INES level 1 (anomaly).

Of the INES level 1 events, 3 involved doses above the 1 mSv dose limit to non-NEW workers; these were covered in the previous section. The other 4 were related to stolen portable gauges. One of these events involved a portable gauge that was reported stolen by the licensee back in 2013 and was recovered in 2020 after a member of the public found it in a warehouse and notified the CNSC. The CNSC was able to identify the licensee-owner, who was then able to safely recover the portable gauge and confirm that it was in good condition, with both sources in a shielded position. Two events involved the theft of portable gauges that were promptly recovered. The final event involved a portable gauge that was reported stolen while it was stored in a parked vehicle, which has yet to be recovered. The portable gauge contains a Category 4 sealed source, meaning that it is classified as “low risk” and is unlikely to be dangerous.

For all cases of events reported to the CNSC, licensees implemented appropriate response measures to mitigate the impacts of the events and to limit radiation exposure to workers and the public. CNSC staff reviewed the measures and found them to be satisfactory. More information on the events can be found in appendix E.

As noted above, event data related to transport is a more meaningful indicator than licensee performance ratings for the packaging and transport SCA. Out of the 135 events reported in 2020, 31 (23%) were related to transport. For the most part (68%), these events were related to minor motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) (“or fender benders”) where there was no damage to the package being transported and no injury to the driver. None of the transport-related events were considered risk-significant; all were rated as INES level 0. Given the high volume of packages containing radioactive material that are shipped on a regular basis in Canada, the small number of transport events reported in 2020 – all of which were of low risk significance – provide an indicator of the overall level of safety of this activity.

The number of reported events in 2020 is slightly lower than those in the previous 5 years. However, it is generally consistent with typical annual numbers. There was a lull in reported events from March to June 2020, compared to previous years’ monthly event data – this time frame corresponds to lockdowns across the country. The number of events reported stabilized-to-average levels midway through the year, corresponding with some lockdowns being lifted and workers gradually returning to the workplace. The lower number of events observed in 2020 could be related to licensees’ restrictions on their operations during the pandemic. However, a more thorough analysis of data over the next few years will help to determine if the pandemic resulted in lower numbers.

5.0 Stakeholder engagement

The CNSC performs stakeholder engagement and outreach activities, in order to facilitate communication on licensed activities and regulatory expectations between the CNSC and the nuclear substance licensees, the public, and Indigenous communities.

Stakeholder engagement and outreach are critical elements of the CNSC’s regulatory approach. Given the breadth of licensees regulated in the area of nuclear substances, a particular focus is on reaching and engaging with licensee communities, a practice that leads to increased awareness and better understanding of the regulatory process and requirements. CNSC staff leverage a variety of fora to engage with licensees and promote the use of the tools that are developed to support their compliance with regulatory expectations.

In the early stage of the pandemic, CNSC staff conducted outreach activities to ascertain the operating environment of its licensees and to verify that all licensees had maintained measures for the safety and security of their nuclear substances. The CNSC contacted each DNSR licensee individually to ensure communications were maintained during the pandemic, and requested updates related to the status of business activity, alternate contact means, and changes to key persons involved in the licensed activity. Specific information was also sought related to additional training required for workers, and the maintenance of required training related to radiation protection and transportation of dangerous goods.

 Other CNSC outreach in 2020 included:

  • Regulatory policy discussion – hosted by the CNSC on February 12, on REGDOC‑1.6.2, Developing and Implementing an Effective Radiation Protection Program for Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Licences
  • DNSR Digest: six issues of the DNSR Digest– containing brief articles of interest to DNSR licensees were distributed by email in 2020; please note the DNSR Digest replaced the former DNSR Newsletter effective August 2020
  • Working groups:
    • The Radiography Working Group was hosted by the CNSC in 2020
    • There were 2 meetings with the Canadian Radiation Protection Association (CRPA) working group –an in-person meeting (before the pandemic) and a remote one; topics for such meetings are varied, focusing on items of mutual interest, and are intended to foster open communications between CRPA and the CNSC
      • February 14 – in-person discussion on multi modality dose consideration in room approvals, general communication updates and update on regulatory documents
      • December 11 – virtual discussion on new Radiation Protection Regulations, comments from CRPA on the 2019 ROR and general discussion of mutual interest

6.0 Conclusion

In 2020, the majority of the inspected licensees were in compliance with the expectations of the SCAs, and all of the enforcement actions taken in 2020 have been closed. Radiation exposure to workers in 2020 continued to be very low and consistent with previous years. For the events reported in 2020, the licensees implemented appropriate responses to address the events, as determined by CNSC staff. CNSC staff continued to host outreach activities with various stakeholders to keep the public, Indigenous communities and licensees informed.

Adapting to the pandemic environment allowed CNSC staff to leverage the use of alternate performance verification activities, such as remote inspections, and in 2020 the mix of remote and onsite inspections was sufficient to maintain regulatory oversight. However, CNSC staff conclude that remote inspections are most appropriate during exceptional circumstances; they will not be the standard moving forward, as the goal is to return to majority in-person inspections when it is appropriate and safe to do so.

Overall, CNSC staff saw no significant changes in the distribution of licences, compliance trending, or doses to workers for any of the sectors covered by this report. Licensees corrected identified items of non-compliance to the satisfaction of CNSC staff. The evaluations of findings for the SCAs, resulting from the CNSC’s comprehensive regulatory oversight of the industry, demonstrate that licensees made acceptable provisions to protect health, safety, security and the environment from the use of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment, and took the measures required to implement Canada’s international obligations. Based on these evaluations, CNSC staff conclude that the use of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in Canada remains safe and secure.

Appendix A: Regulatory program for the use of nuclear substances

This appendix presents additional regulatory data to complement the information provided in the main part of the document.

A.1 CNSC regulatory effort

Table 1: Licensing and certification in 2020, all sectors combined
Type of decision Number of decisions
Licensing (issuance of new licences, licence renewals, licence amendments, licence revocations and licence transfers) 1,484
Certification of prescribed equipment (radiation devices, Class II prescribed equipment and transport packages) 63
Certification of exposure device operators (EDOs) (issuance of new certification and renewal of certification) 393
Certification of Class II radiation safety officers (RSOs) 24
Total 1,964
Table 2: CNSC staff direct effort for regulating the use of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in 2020, all sectors combined
Activity Person-days
Licensing 5,433
Certification 1,299
Compliance verification 4,966

A.2 Licensing

In 2020, there were 2,079 licences held for the use of nuclear substances and prescribed equipment (table 3). The licensees are located throughout Canada, as indicated in figure 1. Note the difference in the total number of licences in table 3 (2,079) versus figure 1 (2,035); this is because 44 licences were issued to companies headquartered in other countries (primarily the United States), but these companies service prescribed equipment located in Canada.

Table 3: Number of licences by sector, 2016 to 2020
Sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Medical 470 457 436 438 445
Industrial 1,308 1,287 1,259 1,228 1,207
Academic and research 208 195 192 187 189
Commercial 254 252 248 237 238
Total 2,240 2,191 2,135 2,090 2,079

Figure 1: Licensees across Canada using nuclear substances and prescribed equipment

Figure 1: Text version

This map shows the distribution of licensees by sector across Canada. 

Yukon: 5 industrial licences

Northwest Territories: 7 industrial licences

Nunavut: 1 industrial licence

British Columbia: 162 industrial licences, 14 academic and research licences, 44 medical licences, 19 commercial licences

Alberta: 291 industrial licences, 32 academic and research licences, 38 medical licences, 13 commercial licences

Saskatchewan: 47 industrial licences, 3 academic and research licences, 11 medical licences, 9 commercial licences

Manitoba: 28 industrial licences, 4 academic and research licences, 13 medical licences, 9 commercial licences

Ontario: 369 industrial licences, 97 academic and research licences, 190 medical licences, 82 commercial licences

Quebec: 209 industrial licences, 36 academic and research licences, 119 medical licences, 54 commercial licences

New Brunswick: 27 industrial licences, 3 academic and research licences, 15 medical licences, 5 commercial licences

Prince Edward Island: 2 industrial licences, 1 academic and research licence, 3 medical licences, 0 commercial licences

Nova Scotia: 30 industrial licences, 4 academic and research licences, 5 medical licences, 3 commercial licences

Newfoundland and Labrador: 27 industrial licences, 4 academic and research licences, 6 medical licences, 1 commercial licence

A.3 Certification of prescribed equipment and transport packages

As seen in table 1, designated officers made 63 decisions related to the certification of prescribed equipment and/or transport packages.

A.4 Certification of exposure device operators

Licensees are required under the Nuclear Substances and Radiation Devices Regulations to permit only CNSC-certified personnel and supervised trainees to use exposure devices containing nuclear substances. In 2020, the CNSC certified 61 new exposure device operators (EDOs) and renewed the certifications of 332 others.

A.5 Certification of Class II radiation safety officers

All licensees that operate Class II nuclear facilities or that service Class II prescribed equipment must have a certified radiation safety officer (RSO) and a qualified temporary replacement. The RSO ensures that licensed activities are conducted safely and that all regulatory expectations are met.

In 2020, the CNSC certified 24 Class II RSOs. No Class II RSOs were decertified in 2020.

A.6 Record of decision – Mississauga Metals and Alloys exemption request

As requested by the Commission, CNSC staff report that, pursuant to paragraph 37(2)(c) of the NSCA, the designated officer (DO) decided to renew Mississauga Metals and Alloys’ (MM&A’s) waste nuclear substance licence. The licence, WNSL-W2-3750.00/2022, is valid from May 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022, unless otherwise suspended, amended, revoked, replaced or transferred.

The DO recognized that the Commission has granted MM&A a temporary exemption from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Cost Recovery Fees Regulations, based in part on the understanding that the licensee has committed to providing full payment of arrears in accordance with the Licence Activity Plan (which includes a payment plan), submitted as part of its application for a licence. A licence condition has been added to ensure that MM&A complies with the Licensed Activity Plan, and the elements of this plan have been included in appendix A of the MM&A licence. The licence condition states: “The licensee shall comply with the arrears payment schedule as set out in Appendix A of this licence.” CNSC staff will monitor MM&A’s payments of its arrears and will take appropriate action to respond to any non-compliance.

As part of its application for the renewal of its licence, MM&A submitted a revised radiation safety manual and demonstrated that it has the qualifications to implement the radiation safety program. CNSC staff determined that this satisfies the conditions to close the order that had been raised further to the November 2019 compliance inspection.

Appendix B: Compliance performance

As previously noted in the body of the report, it is important to keep in mind, when interpreting the data presented, that the decreased number of inspections due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected the performance metric sample size. Since the sample size in 2020 was much smaller than in previous years, it is difficult to compare results year over year. Therefore, the reader should not place too much emphasis on any apparent trending when interpreting performance results.

B.1 Management system

For the management system SCA, 96% of the licensees inspected ensured that adequate processes and programs were in place to achieve their safety objectives (figures 2 and 3). There were no unacceptable ratings in this SCA.

For any below-expectations ratings, CNSC staff ensured that licensees took appropriate corrective actions.

Figure 2: Inspection ratings for management system, 2016 to 2020

Figure 2: Text version

The graph shows the percentage of management systems inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable. The table shows the total number of management systems inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable.

  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Meets expectations 1,265 (98%) 840 (97%) 843 (97%) 739 (97%) 321 (96%)
Below expectations 27 (2%) 23 (3%) 29 (3%) 22 (3%) 14 (4%)
Unacceptable 2 (0.2%) 1 (0.2%) 0 (0%) 3 (0.4%) 0 (0%)
Total number of inspections 1,294 864 872 764 335

Figure 3: Sector-by-sector comparison of inspection ratings meeting expectations for management system, 2016 to 2020

Figure 3: Text version

The graph shows a sector-to-sector comparison of inspection ratings meeting expectations as a percentage of inspections performed for the management system SCA, from 2016 to 2020. The table shows the number of inspections for the management system SCA by sector.

Number of Inspections 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Medical 207 (96%) 106 (96%) 110 (94%) 155 (95%) 44 (92%)
Industrial 901 (98%) 605 (98%) 608 (97%) 475 (98%) 254 (96%)
Academic and Research 73 (975) 71 (97%) 85 (99%) 73 (99%) 9 (100%)
Commercial 84 (97%) 58 (94%) 40 (98%) 36 (97%) 14 (100%)
All sectors combined 1,265 (98%) 840 (97%) 843 (99%) 739 (97%) 321 (97%)

B.2 Operating performance

For the operating performance SCA, 83% of the licensees inspected ensured that adequate processes and programs were in place to achieve their safety objectives (figures 4 and 5). There were no unacceptable ratings in this SCA.

For any below-expectations ratings, CNSC staff ensured that licensees took appropriate corrective actions.

Figure 4: Inspection performance for operating performance, 2016 to 2020

Figure 4: Text version

The graph shows the percentage of operating performance inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable. The table shows the total number of operating performance inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable.

  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Meets expectations 1,151 (87%) 747 (85%) 747 (84%) 672 (86%) 292(83%)
Below expectations 161 (12%) 128 (15%) 144 (16%) 110 (14%) 61 (17%)
Unacceptable 5 (0.4%) 8 (1%) 4 (0.4%) 2 (0.3%) 0 (0%)
Total number of inspections 1,317 883 895 784 353

Figure 5: Sector-by-sector comparison of inspections meeting expectations for operating performance, 2016 to 2020

Figure 5: Text version

The graph shows a sector-to-sector comparison of inspection ratings meeting expectations as a percentage of inspections performed for the operating performance SCA, from 2016 to 2020. The table shows the number of inspections for the operating performance SCA by sector.

Number of Inspections 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Medical 201 (88%) 100 (86%) 96 (77%) 155 (88%) 41 (80%)
Industrial 792 (86%) 511 (82%) 528 (83%) 409 (85%) 225 (84%)
Academic and Research 74 (91%) 73 (97%) 79 (88%) 70 (95%) 9 (90%)
Commercial 84 (92%) 63 (94%) 44 (92%) 38(89%) 17 (94%)
All sectors combined 1,151 (87%) 747 (85%) 747 (84%) 672 (86%) 292 (83%)

B.3 Radiation protection

For the radiation protection SCA, 84% of the licensees inspected ensured that adequate processes and programs were in place to achieve their safety objectives (figures 6 and 7).

One industrial licensee received an unacceptable rating in radiation protection. The licensee was issued an order. The licensee has complied with the terms of the order and put corrective measures in place to address all items of non-compliance found during the routine Type II inspection that led to the issuance of the order. More details about the order (#1212) can be found in table 17 of appendix C. CNSC staff were satisfied with the corrective actions put in place by the licensee and the order is now closed.

For any below-expectations ratings, CNSC staff ensured that licensees took appropriate corrective actions.

Figure 6: Inspection performance for radiation protection, 2016 to 2020

Figure 6: Text version

The graph shows the percentage of radiation protection inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable. The table shows the total number of radiation protection inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable.

  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Meets expectations 1,112 (85%) 744 (85%) 748 (84%) 629 (80%) 299 (84%)
Below expectations 199 (15%) 129 (15%) 137 (15%) 160 (20%) 55 (16%)
Unacceptable 4 (0.3%) 3 (0.3%) 6 (0.7%) 1 (0.1%) 1 (0.3%)
Total number of inspections 1,315 873 891 790 355

Figure 7: Sector-by-sector comparison of inspections meeting expectations for radiation protection, 2016 to 2020

Figure 7: Text version

The graph shows a sector-to-sector comparison of inspection ratings meeting expectations as a percentage of inspections performed for the radiation protection SCA, from 2016 to 2020. The table shows the number of inspections for the radiation protection SCA by sector.

Number of Inspections 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Medical 185 (80%) 94 (81%) 95 (77%) 132 (74%) 42 (82%)
Industrial 773 (84%) 518 (84%) 539 (85%) 387 (80%) 227 (85%)
Academic and Research 71 (91%) 69 (93%) 68 (77%) 71 (96%) 9 (90%)
Commercial 83 (92%) 63 (100%) 46 (100%) 39(81%) 21 (100%)
All sectors combined 1,112 (85%) 744 (85%) 748 (84%) 629 (80%) 299 (84%)

B.4 Security

For the security SCA, 93% of the licensees inspected ensured that adequate processes and programs were in place to achieve their safety objectives (figures 8 and 9). None of the licensees received an unacceptable rating for the security SCA.

For any below-expectations ratings, CNSC staff ensured that licensees took appropriate corrective actions.

Figure 8: Inspection performance for security, 2016 to 2020

Figure 8: Text version

The graph shows the percentage of security inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable. The table shows the total number of security inspections that met expectations, that were below expectations and that were unacceptable.

  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Meets expectations 1,159 (94%) 764 (90%) 764 (92%) 719 (95%) 163 (93%)
Below expectations 78 (6%) 77 (9%) 68 (8%) 41 (5%) 13 (7%)
Unacceptable 1 (0.1%) 9 (1.1%) 1 (0.1%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)
Total number of inspections 1,238 850 833 760 176

Figure 9: Sector-by-sector comparison of inspections meeting expectations for security, 2016 to 2020

Figure 9: Text version

The graph shows a sector-to-sector comparison of inspection ratings meeting expectations as a percentage of inspections performed for the security SCA, from 2016 to 2020. The table shows the number of inspections for the security SCA by sector.

Number of Inspections 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Medical 190 (86%) 96 (81%) 96 (91%) 158 (94%) 31 (94%)
Industrial 830 (95%) 552 (93%) 587 (94%) 457 (94%) 116 (95%)
Academic and Research 70 (96%) 66 (97%) 57 (79%) 72 (99%) 7 (100%)
Commercial 69 (99%) 50 (94%) 46 (93%) 32 (91%) 9 (90%)
All sectors combined 1,159 (94%) 764 (90%) 786 (94%) 719 (95%) 163 (93%)

B.5 Inspection rating, by sector

B.5.1 Medical sector

Tables 4 to 7 in this section show the inspection performance of licensees in the medical sector. The performance of the subsectors is shown for the years 2016 to 2020 as a percentage of the inspections that received satisfactory ratings for the SCA, together with the total number of inspections where performance in that SCA was assessed. The number of inspections shown in the “Entire medical sector” row is the aggregate for the entire sector, including subsectors not highlighted.

A breakdown by subsector is not provided for the security SCA, given the potentially sensitive information associated with that SCA.

Table 4: Management system: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the medical sector and selected subsectors within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Management system Nuclear medicine 96%

(174)

98%

(91)

96%

(103)

95%

(103)

94%

(47)

Radiation therapy 67%

(10)

82%

(11)

50%

(6)

100%

(4)

0%

(1)

Veterinary nuclear medicine 100%

(9)

100%

(4)

100%

(4)

75%

(4)

(0)
Entire medical sector 96%

(216)

97%

(110)

94%

(117)

95%

(163)

92%

(48)

Table 5: Operating performance: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the medical sector and selected subsectors within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Operating Performance

Nuclear medicine 86%

(184)

86%

(90)

77%

(104)

87%

(155)

77%

(48)

Radiation therapy 92%

(24)

89%

(18)

67%

(12)

100%

(21)

100%

(2)

Veterinary nuclear medicine 100%

(9)

100%

(4)

100%

(4)

100%

(3)

100%

(1)

Entire medical sector 88%

(228)

87%

(116)

77%

(124)

88%

(176)

77%

(51)

Note: Inspections for the nuclear medicine subsector were prioritized based on licensees that had not been recently inspected. The majority of completed inspections for this subsector were conducted onsite and at the beginning of the year, prior to the pandemic. The licensees inspected during that period were high priority, and this led to an increase in findings. The smaller number of inspections completed in 2020 and the higher number of findings led to the overall decrease in performance for this SCA.

Table 6: Radiation protection: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the medical sector and selected subsectors within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Radiation Protection Nuclear medicine 77%

(186)

75%

(89)

74%

(104)

70%

(155)

73%

(48)

Radiation therapy 100%

(24)

100%

(19)

100%

(12)

100%

(13)

100%

(2)

Veterinary nuclear medicine 67%

(9)

100%

(4)

50%

(4)

100%

(3)

100%

(1)

Entire medical sector 80%

(231)

81%

(116)

77%

(124)

74%

(178)

76%

(51)

Note: Inspections for the nuclear medicine subsector were prioritized based on licensees that had not been recently inspected. The majority of completed inspections for this subsector were conducted onsite and at the beginning of the year, prior to the pandemic. The licensees inspected during that period were high priority, and this led to an increase in findings. The smaller number of inspections completed in 2020 and the higher number of findings led to the overall decrease in performance for this SCA. However, the areas identified as needing major improvements in 2019 had positive outcomes in 2020, probably due to the outreach activities performed.

Table 7: Security: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the medical sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Security Medical sector 86%

(222)

81%

(118)

91%

(119)

94%

(168)

97%

(33)

B.5.2 Industrial sector

Tables 8 to 11 in this appendix show the inspection performance of licensees in the industrial sector. The performance of the subsectors is shown for the years 2016 to 2020 as a percentage of the inspections that received satisfactory ratings for the SCA, together with the total number of inspections where performance in that SCA was assessed. The number of inspections for the “Entire industrial sector” row is the aggregate for the entire sector, including subsectors not highlighted.

A breakdown by subsector is not provided for the security SCA, given the potentially sensitive information associated with that SCA.

Table 8: Management system: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the industrial sector and selected subsectors within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Management system Portable gauge 98%

(443)

99%

(303)

98%

(321)

100%

(215)

98%

(92)

Fixed gauge 100%

(205)

94%

(130)

94%

(112)

94%

(124)

94%

(94)

Industrial radiography 97%

(201)

96%

(136)

96%

(138)

98%

(114)

98%

(66)

Oil-well logging 100%

(48)

100%

(42)

98%

(43)

100%

(24)

89%

(9)

Entire industrial sector 98%

(916)

98%

(620)

97%

(608)

98%

(487)

96%

(261)

A significant reduced activity in the oil-well logging subsector, unrelated to the pandemic, led to a large decrease in locations storing and using nuclear substances, resulting in reduced number of planned inspections in 2020. While compliance in the subsector was similar to past years, a single slightly lower performer combined with the low number of performed inspections led to a decrease in performance for this subsector.

Table 9: Operating performance: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the industrial sector and selected subsectors within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Operating Performance

Portable gauge 87%

(439)

82%

(305)

86%

(326)

82%

(216)

82%

(98)

Fixed gauge 77%

(205)

70%

(136)

68%

(111)

73%

(124)

71%

(94)

Industrial radiography 94%

(199)

89%

(116)

88%

(138)

93%

(114)

98%

(66)

Oil-well logging 90%

(48)

93%

(42)

86%

(44)

100%

(24)

100%

(9)

Entire industrial sector 86%

(917)

82%

(625)

83%

(633)

83.9%

(484)

82%

(267)

Note: Inspections for the fixed gauge subsector were prioritized based on licensees that had not been recently inspected, licensees that were individually selected based on lower past compliance results, and licensees with specific conditions in their licences permitting specific activities with a greater risk to the safety of workers. This subsector grading has similar low results in the past few years due to the way compliance is verified in assessing operating performance. A single finding related to a licensee’s procedure will generally lead to a negative impact on the overall performance.

Table 10: Radiation protection: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the industrial sector and selected subsectors within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Radiation Protection Portable gauge 84%

(442)

82%

(306)

84%

(326)

74%

(216)

83%

(98)

Fixed gauge 78%

(205)

80%

(132)

77%

(111)

73%

(124)

82%

(94)

Industrial radiography 92%

(198)

90%

(130)

91%

(138)

92%

(114)

86%

(66)

Oil-well logging 79%

(48)

86%

(42)

91%

(44)

92%

(24)

89%

(9)

Entire industrial sector 84%

(916)

84%

(620)

85%

(633)

79%

(483)

84%

(267)

Note: Inspections for the industrial radiography subsector were prioritized based on licensees that had not recently been inspected, licensees that were individually selected based on lower past compliance results, or situations where a follow-up compliance activity was deemed necessary. Most onsite inspections were conducted in the first months of 2020. Findings with greater negative impacts on the grading were also observed in those months. This corresponds to the period when most of the inspections were prioritized based on licensees with lower performance in their compliance history. A low number of inspections performed in the remaining months, combined with this history of lower performing licensees inspected at the beginning of the year, resulted in a lower rating in 2020.

Table 11: Security: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the industrial sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Security Industrial sector 95%

(873)

91%

(610)

94%

(624)

94%

(484)

92%

(122)

B.5.3 Academic and research sector

Tables 12 to 15 in this appendix show the inspection performance of licensees in the academic and research sector. The performance of the subsectors is shown for the years 2016 to 2020 as a percentage of the inspections that received satisfactory ratings for the SCA, together with the total number of inspections for which performance in that SCA was assessed. The number of inspections for the “Entire academic and research sector” row is the aggregate for the entire sector, including subsectors not highlighted.

A breakdown by subsector is not provided for the security SCA, given the potentially sensitive information associated with that SCA.

Table 12: Management system: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the academic and research sector and selected subsector within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Management system Laboratory studies and consolidated use 97%

(71)

97%

(73)

99%

(84)

99%

(74)

100%

(9)

Entire academic and research sector 97%

(75)

97%

(73)

99%

(86)

99%

(74)

100%

(9)

Table 13: Operating performance: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the academic and research sector and selected subsector within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Operating performance Laboratory studies and consolidated use 92%

(75)

97%

(74)

88%

(86)

95%

(74)

89%

(9)

Entire academic and research sector 91%

(81)

97%

(75)

88%

(90)

95%

(74)

90%

(10)

Table 14: Radiation protection: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the academic and research sector and selected subsector within the sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Radiation protection Laboratory studies and consolidated use 92%

(75)

97%

(74)

88%

(86)

93%

(74)

100%

(10)

Entire academic and research sector 91%

(81)

97%

(75)

88%

(90)

93%

(74)

100%

(10)

Table 15: Security: Percentage of inspections meeting expectations (and number of inspections conducted) for the academic and research sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA Subsector or sector 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Security Academic and research sector 96%

(73)

96%

(69)

79%

(72)

99%

(73)

100%

(7)

B.5.4 Commercial sector

Table 16 shows the inspection performance of licensees in the commercial sector. The performance of the sectors is shown for the years 2016 to 2020 as a percentage of the inspections that received satisfactory ratings for the SCA, together with the total number of inspections for which performance in that SCA was assessed. The number of inspections for the commercial sector is the aggregate for the entire sector.

Due to the small number of inspections in each subsector, a breakdown by subsector is not provided. Identifying trends would be difficult in subsectors due to the low number of licensees in many of them.

Table 16: Inspection performance for the commercial sector, 2016 to 2020

SCA 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Management system 97%

(87)

93%

(62)

97%

(41)

97%

(40)

100%

(14)

Operating performance 92%

(91)

94%

(67)

92%

(48)

89%

(36)

94%

(18)

Radiation protection 92%

(90)

95%

(63)

100%

(46)

83%

(48)

100%

(21)

Security 99%

(70)

94%

(53)

93%

(41)

91%

(35)

90%

(10)

Appendix C: Enforcement actions issued in 2020

As DNSR completed roughly half the typical number of inspections per year, it was also observed that enforcement actions issued were also roughly half the typical number issued, when compared to numbers in 2019. Although affected by many variables, enforcement actions tend to be issued as a result of inspections; as such, fewer inspections typically result in fewer enforcement actions.

In 2020, CNSC staff issued 4 orders and 2 administrative monetary penalties (AMPs) to licensees. Most of the enforcement actions were issued to licensees in the industrial sector, consistent with previous years. A list of orders issued is included in table 17. A list of AMPs issued is included in table 18.

All enforcement actions are closed and the CNSC is satisfied that the licensees have addressed the conditions of the orders/AMPs.

Figure 10: Sector-by-sector comparison of enforcement actions issued, 2016 to 2020

Figure 10: Text version

This figure shows an annual sector-by-sector comparison of enforcement actions issued, for the period 2016 to 2020.

  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Medical 1 0 1 0 0
Industrial 18 23 14 9 4
Academic and research 0 0 0 0 0
Commercial 3 1 1 4 2
All sectors combined 22 24 16 13 6

The number of enforcement actions (Orders and AMPs) issued to the medical sector was 1 in 2016, 0 in 2017, 1 in 2018, 0 in 2019, and 0 in 2020.

The number of enforcement actions (Orders and AMPs) issued to the industrial sector was 18 in 2016, 23 in 2017, 14 in 2018, 9 in 2019, and 4 in 2020.

The number of enforcement actions (Orders and AMPs) issued to the academic and research sector was 0 in 2016, 0 in 2017, 0 in 2018, 0 in 2019, and 0 in 2020.

The number of enforcement actions (Orders and AMPs) issued to the commercial sector was 3 in 2016, 1 in 2017, 1 in 2018, 4 in 2019, and 2 in 2020.

The number of enforcement actions (Orders and AMPs) issued to all sectors combined was 22 in 2016, 24 in 2017, 16 in 2018, 13 in 2019, and 6 in 2020.

Table 17: Orders issued in 2020

Issue date (2020) Order # Location Licensee Subsector, Sector Licensee response Closure date (2020)
January 16, 2020 1227 108 Maplecrete Road, Concord, ON L4K 1A4 Medagh Industrial Recycling Ltd 880, industrial The licensee has complied with the terms of the order and transferred their single radiation device to a servicing company authorized to possess the device. February 3, 2020
February 20, 2020 1212 441 Esna Park Drive
Unit 19
Markham, ON
L3R 1H7
Edward Wong & Associates 811, industrial The licensee has complied with the terms of the order and put corrective measures in place to address all items of non-compliance found during the routine Type II inspection that led to the issuance of the order. April 16, 2020
March 10, 2020 0550 300 Prince Philip Drive
St. John’s, NL
A1B 3V6
Eastern Regional Health Authority 516, Commercial The licensee has complied with the terms of the order and put corrective measures in place to address all items of non-compliance found during the routine Type II inspection that led to the issuance of the order. June 5, 2020
October 30, 2020 0841 4929 7th Line, Unit 2
Rockwood, ON
N0B 2K0
Eric Haugen 826, Commercial The CNSC took additional enforcement action to arrange the seizure and safe storage of all radioactive material possessed and stored by Kodiak Quality Control Ltd. The order was closed once those actions were completed. December 3, 2020

Table 18: Administrative monetary penalties issued in 2020

Issue date (2020) Licensee Amount AMP description
October 20, 2020 Interior Testing Services $1,000 A portable gauge was shipped by the licensee with the shutter fully open, allowing higher levels of radiation exposure outside the package. This event violated IAEA Regulations related to shipment, labelling and packaging in accordance with the Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations, 2015.
March 20, 2020 Kodiak Quality Control Ltd. $2,770 On November 30, 2020, the CNSC arranged the seizure and safe storage of all radioactive material possessed and stored by Kodiak Quality Control Ltd., a company based in Rockwood, Ontario. The company previously held a CNSC licence, which expired on October 31, 2020, that authorized it to possess, transfer, export and store nuclear substances and prescribed equipment for distribution purposes.

Appendix D: Doses to workers

A total of 58,967 workers in the 4 sectors were monitored for occupational doses in 2020. Of those workers, 22,861 were nuclear energy workers (NEWs). The differences in doses to workers among sectors reflect the nature of the various activities within those sectors. Figure 11 shows the doses received by the 22,861 NEWs monitored in 2020, while figure 12 shows the doses to NEWs from 2016 to 2020.

Figure 11: Sector-by-sector comparison of annual effective doses to all NEWs reported by licensees in 2020

Figure 11: Text version

This figure shows a sector-by-sector comparison of the annual effective doses to all NEWs reported by licensees in 2020. The table shows the number of NEWs in each dose category by sector.

  Less than or equal to 0.5 mSv Greater than 0.5 and less than or equal to 1 mSv Greater than 1 and less than or equal to 5 mSv Greater than 5 and less than or equal to 20 mSv Greater than 20 and less than or equal to 50 mSv Greater than 50 mSv
Medical 5,133 565 1,599 112 0 0
Industrial 5,841 2,035 1,771 293 1 0
Academic and Research 3,132 36 15 1 0 0
Commercial 1,945 181 215 3 0 0
Figure 12: Text version

This figure shows the annual effective doses to NEWs in all sectors, for the period 2016 to 2020. The table shows the number of NEWs in each dose category by year.

  Less than or equal to 0.5 mSv Greater than 0.5 and less than or equal to 1 mSv Greater than 1 and less than or equal to 5 mSv Greater than 5 and less than or equal to 20 mSv Greater than 20 and less than or equal to 50 mSv Greater than 50 mSv
2016 16,350 2,636 2,384 424 2 0
2017 14,760 1,475 2,642 301 6 0
2018 14,855 1,618 2,504 321 5 0
2019 18,401 1,481 3,869 419 4 1
2020 16,051 2,817 3,600 409 1 0

Note: While the 2019 data stands, the licensee has since determined that the dose > 50 mSv was non-personal and submitted a dose change request.

D.1 Medical sector

This appendix shows the doses received by NEWs in the medical sector, as reported to the CNSC for 2020 (figure 13). Note that the total number of NEWs shown in the “Medical sector” row is the aggregate for the entire sector, including subsectors not highlighted. Results are similar to past years.

Figure 13: Doses to nuclear energy workers in the medical sector (selected subsectors and entire sector) reported for 2020

Figure 13: Text version

This figure shows a subsector-to-subsector comparison of the annual effective doses to all NEWs in the medical sector in 2020. The table shows the number of NEWs in each dose category by subsector.

  Less than or equal to 0.5 mSv Greater than 0.5 and less than or equal to 1 mSv Greater than 1 and less than or equal to 5 mSv Greater than 5 and less than or equal to 20 mSv Greater than 20 and less than or equal to 50 mSv Greater than 50 mSv
Nuclear Medicine 2,498 543 1,580 109 0 0
Radiation Therapy 2,493 15 5 0 0 0
Veterinary Nuclear Medicine 103 5 5 0 0 0
Entire Medical Sector 5,133 565 1,599 112 0 0

D.2 Industrial sector

This appendix shows the doses received by NEWs in the industrial sector, as reported to the CNSC for 2020 (figure 14). Note that the total number of NEWs shown in the “Industrial sector” row is the aggregate for the entire sector, including subsectors not highlighted. Results are similar to past years.

Figure 14: Doses to nuclear energy workers in the industrial sector (selected subsectors and entire sector) reported for 2020

Figure 14: Text version

This figure shows a subsector-to-subsector comparison of the annual effective doses to all NEWs in the industrial sector in 2020. The table shows the number of NEWs in each dose category by subsector.

  Less than or equal to 0.5 mSv Greater than 0.5 and less than or equal to 1 mSv Greater than 1 and less than or equal to 5 mSv Greater than 5 and less than or equal to 20 mSv Greater than 20 and less than or equal to 50 mSv Greater than 50 mSv
Portable gauge 2,561 1,656 915 25 0 0
Fixed gauge 301 9 0 0 0 0
Industrial radiography 1,650 321 790 266 1 0
Oil-well logging 1,240 47 61 2 0 0
Entire industrial sector 5, 841 2,035 1,771 293 1 0

D.3 Academic and research sector

This appendix shows the doses received by NEWs in the academic and research sector, as reported to the CNSC for 2020 (figure 15). Note that the total number of NEWs shown in the “Academic and research sector” row is the aggregate for the entire sector, including subsectors not highlighted. Results are similar to past years.

Doses received by NEWs working at the CNSC laboratory remained very low, with all workers receiving doses below 0.5 mSv.

Figure 15: Doses to nuclear energy workers in the academic and research sector (selected subsector and entire sector) reported for 2020

Figure 14: Text version

This figure shows a subsector-to-subsector comparison of the annual effective doses to all NEWs in the academic and research sector in 2020. The table shows the number of NEWs in each dose category by subsector.

  Less than or equal to 0.5 mSv Greater than 0.5 and less than or equal to 1 mSv Greater than 1 and less than or equal to 5 mSv Greater than 5 and less than or equal to 20 mSv Greater than 20 and less than or equal to 50 mSv Greater than 50 mSv
Laboratory studies and the consolidated use of nuclear substances 2,848 34 15 1 0 0
Entire academic and research sector 3,132 36 15 1 0 0

D.4 Commercial sector

This appendix shows the doses received by NEWs in the commercial sector, as reported to the CNSC for 2020 (figure 16). Note that the total number of NEWs shown in the “Commercial sector” row is the aggregate for the entire sector, including subsectors not highlighted. Results are similar to past years.

Figure 16: Doses to nuclear energy workers in the commercial sector (selected subsectors and entire sector) reported in 2020

Figure 16: Text version

This figure shows a subsector-to-subsector comparison of the annual effective doses to all NEWs in the commercial sector in 2020. The table shows the number of NEWs in each dose category by subsector.

  Less than or equal to 0.5 mSv Greater than 0.5 and less than or equal to 1 mSv Greater than 1 and less than or equal to 5 mSv Greater than 5 and less than or equal to 20 mSv Greater than 20 and less than or equal to 50 mSv Greater than 50 mSv
Isotope production 241 28 9 0 0 0
Processing of nuclear substances 311 60 107 0 0 0
Distribution 47 2 9 0 0 0
Servicing 566 33 50 3 0 0
Calibration 115 2 13 0 0 0
Waste nuclear substance facilities 613 54 25 0 0 0
Entire commercial sector 1,945 181 215 3 0 0

Appendix E: Reported events

CNSC staff assessed 135 events related to nuclear substances and prescribed equipment in 2020. The number of these reported events is slightly lower than the previous 5 years. However, the 2020 number is generally consistent with numbers reported over this time period. Of these events, 126 were rated as level 0 (no safety significance) on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) and 7 were rated as INES level 1 (anomaly). For all of the events reported, licensees implemented appropriate response measures to mitigate the impacts and to limit radiation exposure to workers and the public. CNSC staff reviewed the measures and found them to be satisfactory.

Figure 17: Reported events from 2016 to 2020, all sectors combined

Figure 17: Text version

This figure shows the annual number of reported events by type of event, for the period 2016 to 2020, for all sectors combined.

  2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Malfunctioning or damaged devices 44 50 66 67 47
Spill, contamination or release 20 19 20 19 16
Lost, stolen or found nuclear substances 13 18 19 6 8
Packaging and transport 44 33 56 46 31
Breach of security 5 11 16 21 14
Unplanned exposure 12 13 13 22 15
Other 1 2 5 3 4
All reported events 139 146 195 183 135

Number of reported events involving malfunctioning or damaged devices was 44 in 2016, 50 in 2017, 66 in 2018, 67 in 2019, and 47 in 2020.

Number of reported events involving spill, contamination, or release was 20 in 2016, 19 in 2017, 20 in 2018, 19 in 2019, and 16 in 2020.

Number of reported events involving lost, stolen or found nuclear substances was 13 in 2016, 18 in 2017, 19 in 2018, 6 in 2019, and 8 in 2020.

Number of reported events involving packaging and transport was 44 in 2016, 33 in 2017, 56 in 2018, 46 in 2019, and 31 in 2020.

Number of reported events involving a breach of security was 5 in 2016, 11 in 2017, 16 in 2018, 21 in 2019, and 14 in 2020.

Number of reported events involving an unplanned exposure was 12 in 2016, 13 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 22 in 2019, and 15 in 2020.

Number of events involving other situations was 1 in 2016, 2 in 2017, 5 in 2018, 3 in 2019, and 4 in 2020.

Total number of reported events was 139 in 2016, 146 in 2017, 195 in 2018, 183 in 2019, and 135 in 2020.

Note: Unplanned exposures include individuals crossing safety barriers while industrial radiography was occurring, skin contamination events, and any events where regulatory limits were exceeded.

Table 18: Events reported to the CNSC in 2020

Event ID Date reported INES rating Event type Sector Event summary
4854 January 10 0 Device damaged Industrial Broken shutter on fixed gauge. Repair made.
4855 January 10 0 Device malfunction Industrial Shutter on fixed gauge stuck in open position. Gauge disposed of.
4856 January 11 0 Device malfunction Industrial Posi-lock mechanism on exposure device failed to engage. An old guide tube was the problem. Device sent for inspection and maintenance.
4861 January 16 0 Device malfunction Industrial Portable gauge shipped with open shutter received by servicing company.
4864 January 17 0 Unplanned exposure Industrial Client employee (member of the public) crossed radiography barrier while shots in progress. No overexposure.
4865 January 17 0 Lost Medical Lost iodine-125 seed (Category 5 sealed source). Not recovered.
4866 January 20 0 Unplanned exposure Industrial An operator error resulted in doses of 0.18 mSv and 0.01 mSv to NEWs. The worker failed to verify that the Posi-lock was engaged. No overexposure.
4867 January 21 0 Unplanned exposure Medical A NEW received skin contamination with technetium-99m while dispensing dose. Dose to left hand (extremity) was 263 mSv (below reg. limit). No overexposure.
4871 January 22 0 Breach of security Academic The motion detector of Gammacell area found unarmed and the area was unattended.
4874 January 24 0 Unplanned exposure Medical A NEW received skin contamination with iodine-131 while dispensing dose. Dose to skin was 95 mSv (below reg. limit). No overexposure.
4875 January 24 0 Lost Medical Lost iodine-125 seed (Category 5 sealed source). Not recovered.
4876 January 25 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle carrying a portable gauge was involved in a motor vehicle collision. No damage to the package or the gauge. No injuries.
4877 January 27 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle carrying a portable gauge was involved in a motor vehicle collision. No damage to the package or the gauge. No leaks. No injuries.
WNS1 January 28 0 Transport Commercial Tear in transport package door seal. Metal bins inside the container intact. No contamination.
4879 January 29 0 Unplanned exposure Industrial An operator error resulted in doses of 0.04 mSv to a NEW. The worker failed to verify that the source was fully retracted into the shielded position. No overexposure.
4884 February 6 0 Device malfunction Industrial Portable gauge with partially open shutter transported to servicing provider.
4885 February 10 0 Breach of security Medical Staff ID access card and hot lab key were lost. Found 3 days later.
4903 February 10 0 Device malfunction Industrial Shutter stuck on fixed gauge. Able to close it. Device tagged out.
4887 February 12 0 Contamination Industrial Failed leak test on cobalt-60 source in fixed gauge. No personal contamination.
4890 February 12 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle carrying a portable gauge was involved in a motor vehicle collision (2 incidents). No damage to the package or the gauge. No injuries. Leak tests conducted; no leaks.
4891 February 19 0 Transport-MVA Commercial A vehicle carrying empty packages was involved in a very minor vehicle collision.

No damage to the packages. No injuries.

4892 February 19 0 Device malfunction Industrial Gauge transported with partially open shutter.
4893 February 20 0 Transport issue Industrial Portable gauge received with damaged Type A package.
4894 February 20 0 Breach of security Academic Alarm panel malfunctioned. Second alarm panel not armed.
4896 February 21 0 Device malfunction Industrial Source rod on portable gauge could not be retracted. With force, the rod was retracted to shielded position. Device cleaned.
4900 February 23 0 Breach of security Medical Alarm system not functioning but other controls in place. All nuclear substances accounted for.
4899 February 25 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No damage to the package or the gauge. No injuries.
4902 February 25 0 Device damaged Industrial racked source rod on portable gauge.
4901 February 27 0 Device malfunction Industrial Portable gauge shipped with open shutter.
4925 February 28 0 Spill Commercial Major spill of 100 MBq fluorine-18 in quality control room.
4939 February 28 0 Unplanned exposure Medical Medical Linac activated while technician still in the room. No measurable dose received. No overexposure.
WNS2 March 3 0 Transport Commercial Package damaged due to load shift during transport. No contamination
4906 March 4 0 Transport-MVA Commercial A vehicle carrying technetium-99m was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No damage to the packages. No injuries.
4908 March 6 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle carrying a portable gauge was involved in a motor vehicle collision. No damage to the gauge. No injuries.
4911 March 10 1 Unplanned exposure Medical A non-NEW exceeded regulatory limit (3.54 mSv), part of which was a non-occupational dose (worker is caring for cancer patient at home). A dose change request was made.
4912 March 11 0 Device damaged Industrial A portable gauge was crushed at a construction site. No leaks. No overexposure.
4915 March 19 0 Unplanned exposure Medical Unplanned exposure to member of public (8.6 µSv) as a result of cremating a patient treated with Lu-77 prior to recommended waiting time.
4932 March 19 0 Unplanned exposure Industrial Vessel entry done contrary to procedure. 328 µSv to non-NEW. No overexposure.
4916 March 24 0 Spill Medical Spill > 100 EQ technetium-99m. A NEW received minor skin contamination (46 mSv). No overexposures.
4917 March 26 0 Transport issue Commercial Unfastened safety seal on Type A package.
4923 April 7 0 Device malfunction Industrial Fixed gauge malfunction due to loss of power (with closed shutter). Unable to restart gauge after loss of power.
4927 April 18 0 Device malfunction Industrial Fixed gauge with shutter stuck in closed position. Gauge is now repaired.
4930 April 23 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge crushed by asphalt roller. No overexposures. No loss of containment.
4940 April 27 0 Other Medical Flooding destroyed a nuclear medicine clinic. No loss of containment.
4934 April 27 0 Device damaged Industrial Flooding destroyed exposure devices. No loss of containment.
4935 April 29 1 Stolen Industrial A portable gauge (Category 4) in a locked vehicle was stolen. Recovered the next day in an apartment.
4936 April 30 0 Transport-MVA Commercial A vehicle carrying technetium-99m was in a minor motor vehicle collision with a deer. No damage to the packages.
4941 May 4 0 Other Industrial Portable gauges flooded. No loss of containment.
4950 May 20 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was in a motor vehicle accident. The driver fell asleep. No damage to the gauge. No injuries.
4951 May 25 0 Spill Medical Spill > 100 EQ of fluorine-18 with skin contamination. No overexposure.
4952 May 26 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge crushed. No overexposure. No loss of containment.
WNS3 June 2 0 Spill/ release Commercial Water leak due to cracked line. Contamination levels below unconditional clearance levels.
4955 June 3 1 Found Industrial A portable gauge (Category 4) previously stolen, was recovered in the public domain in a warehouse. Recovered by licensee. No damage.
4957 June 8 0 Device malfunction Industrial Fixed gauge with shutter stuck in closed position.
4966 June 26 0 Transport issue Industrial Type A package with portable gauge inside melted when close to running generator. No loss of containment.
4967 June 27 0 Device damaged Industrial Steel bars landed on portable gauge and damaged casing. No loss of containment. No injury.
4970 July 7 0 Unplanned exposure Medical A non-NEW received skin contamination with technetium-99m while dispensing a dose. Dose to the hands was 28 mSv. No overexposure.
4988 July 7 0 Unplanned exposure Medical 3 NEWs received skin contamination when fluorine-18 vial broke. Max. dose to extremity was 0.79 mSv. No overexposure.
4972 July 8 0 Spill Medical Spill > 100 EQ of technetium-99m. Spill cleaned up. No skin contamination. No overexposures.
4974 July 14 0 Device damaged Industrial Cracked drive cable discovered during maintenance. No overexposures.
4975 July 16 1 Stolen Industrial A portable gauge (Category 4) in a parked car was stolen. Both the car and the gauge were stolen. Local police were notified. Not recovered.
4976 July 16 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a minor rear-end vehicle collision. No damage to the gauge.
WNS4 July 16 0 Release Commercial Unauthorized release of waste water. Estimated activity concentration below licensees’ action level
4977 July 17 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a minor vehicle collision. The vehicle was hit on the side door. No damage to the gauge.
4978 July 21 0 Device damaged Industrial A truck ran over a portable gauge. No loss of containment. No overexposures.
4979 July 21 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a motor vehicle accident. The vehicle was hit on the side door. No damage to the gauge.
4981 July 22 0 Breach of security Medical Brachytherapy without secondary barrier in place for about a week. No actual breach. No nuclear substances missing.
4982 July 23 0 Transport issue Industrial Portable gauge transported outside its Type A package.
4983 July 23 0 Device malfunction Industrial Malfunctioning radiography guide tube. No overexposures.
4985 July 24 0 Breach of security Academic Unavailability of site security personnel. No nuclear substances missing.
4987 July 28 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a motor vehicle accident. The vehicle rear-ended another car. No damage to the gauge.
4989 August 4 0 Device damaged Industrial Damaged fixed gauge. No loss of containment. Gauge properly disposed of.
4990 August 4 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge struck by vehicle and damaged on construction site. No loss of containment.
4991 August 4 0 Device malfunction Industrial Portable gauge with open shutter transported to servicing company. No overexposures.
5004 August 4 0 Device damaged Industrial Damaged portable gauge on construction site. No loss of containment.
4994 August 6 0 Breach of security Academic Security breach at a basic level lab. Lab door left opened overnight by custodial staff. All nuclear substances accounted for. No nuclear substances missing.
4997 August 9 0 Device damaged Industrial Handle of a portable gauge broke. Gauge in the fully shielded position. No loss of containment.
4998 August 10 0 Breach of security Industrial Security breach. All nuclear substances accounted for. Security measures augmented.
5008 August 10 0 Breach of security Medical Security system door found disarmed. No nuclear substances missing. No exposure. No loss of control.
5000 August 11 0 Device damaged Industrial Corroded shutter on fixed gauge. Gauge in closed position, gauge removed and disposed of.
5001 August 12 0 Device damaged Industrial Fixed gauge with stuck shutter in open position. Barrier set up at 10 µSv/hr. No overexposures.
5002 August 13 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No damage to the gauge.
5003 August 15 0 Device damaged Industrial Fire at a plant with fixed gauges. No loss of containment.
5011 August 20 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge damaged on construction site. No loss of containment.
5013 August 21 0 Transport issue Commercial Package damaged due to rain. No loss of containment.
5014 August 23 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a motor vehicle collision. No damage to the gauge.
5019 August 25 0 Transport-MVA Commercial A vehicle transporting technetium-99m was involved in a motor vehicle collision. No loss of containment. No injuries.
5021 August 31 0 Spill Medical Spill of technetium-99m on a treadmill. No overexposure.
5023 September 1 0 Device damaged Industrial Damaged airline fitting disconnected. In shielded position.
5022 September 2 0 Spill Medical Spill > 100 EQ technetium-99m on hot lab floor. No skin contamination.
5024 September 3 0 Device damaged Industrial Handle of a portable gauge damaged due to a fall. Gauge in shielded position.
5027 September 11 0 Breach of security Medical Security system door found disarmed. No nuclear substances missing. No exposure. No loss of control.
5037 September 16 1 Unplanned exposure Medical A non-NEW received a whole body dose of 1.28 mSv, exceeding limits. The dose is likely not associated with activities regulated by the CNSC but will remain in the 2020 data.
5030 September 17 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge damaged on construction site. No loss of containment.
5031 September 18 0 Device damaged Industrial Bolts sheared off due to vibrations on a fixed gauge. Gauge in shielded position.
5032 September 18 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge damaged on construction site. No loss of containment.
5033 September 21 0 Device malfunction Industrial Metal shaving in an exposure device causing blockage. No overexposure.
5034 September 21 0 Other Commercial Sprinkler system activated at a licensed location. No contamination.
5039 September 23 0 Spill Medical An iodine-125 seed (17 MBq, over 1 EQ) was cut in half. No overexposures
5041 September 25 0 Device damaged Industrial Damaged portable gauge. Gauge hit by vehicle, source rod broke (in shielded position). No loss of containment.
5042 September 28 0 Other Industrial Loss of control of exposure device. Exposure device left behind on a worksite. Other licensee took control in the meantime. No overexposures. Exposure device recovered.
5044 September 29 0 Transport-MVA Commercial A vehicle transporting fluorine-18 was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No damage. No loss of containment.
5045 September 29 0 Breach of security Academic Breach of security. Security system not armed, no intrusion.
5061 October 1 0 Transport issue Medical Reception of a package with internal contamination. Minor skin contamination (8.9 mSv). No overexposures.
5049 October 2 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No damage to the gauge.
5050 October 5 0 Transport issue Medical Reception of a package with internal contamination. No overexposures. Contained.
5051 October 5 0 Contamination Commercial Failed leak test on Cs-137 source. No personal contamination. Source sent for disposal.
WNS5 October 7 0 Security Commercial Security event. Confidential.
5056 October 13 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge damaged on construction site. No loss of containment.
5057 October 15 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No damage to the gauge.
5059 October 16 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge damaged on construction site. No loss of containment.
5062 October 22 0 Lost Medical Loss of source with 5 MBq of iodine-125 (Category 5). Source not recovered.
5063 October 22 0 Spill Medical Spill > 100 EQ technetium-99m with minor skin contamination below 50 mSv to extremity. No overexposure.
5064 October 22 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge damaged when technician backed up truck on it. No loss of containment.
5066 October 27 0 Unplanned exposure Industrial Member of the public crossed radiography barrier. No overexposure.
5132 October 30 0 Device malfunction Academic Irradiator malfunction. The motor of the irradiator had to be changed. No overexposures.
5068 November 3 0 Device malfunction Medical Self-shielded irradiator door interlock malfunction. Equipment repaired. No overexposures
5069 November 4 0 Transport issue Commercial Receipt of broken vial (inner package) with iodine-131. No contamination.
5072 November 6 0 Device damaged Industrial Portable gauge damaged when bulldozer ran over it. No loss of containment.
5074 November 9 1 Unplanned exposure Academic Dose limit exceeded for a non-NEW (1.3 mSv).
5076 November 13 0 Transport-MVA Industrial A vehicle transporting a portable gauge was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No damage to the gauge.
5077 November 16 0 Spill Commercial Spill > 100 EQ technetium-99m. No skin contamination. No overexposures.
5078 November 17 0 Device damaged Industrial Minor damage to a portable gauge when it fell onto the ground. No loss of containment.
5081 November 17 0 Lost Industrial Los of radiation device, XRF analyser, (Category 5). Source not recovered.
5079 November 18 0 Spill Medical An iodine-125 seed was cut during a procedure. No contamination. No overexposures.
5083 November 20 0 Device damaged Industrial Minor damage to a portable gauge when it fell onto the ground. No loss of containment.
5084 November 23 0 Transport-MVA Commercial A vehicle transporting empty packages was involved in a minor motor vehicle collision. No injury to driver.
5085 November 23 0 Device damaged Industrial Source retrieval due to dent in cable (max. dose 31 µSv).
5087 November 25 0 Unplanned exposure Industrial Improper vessel entry. 8 non-NEWs received 18 µSv each during improper vessel entry.
5137 December 2 0 Spill Commercial Spill > 100 EQ of fluorine-18. No skin contamination.
5097 December 10 0 Device malfunction Industrial Sealed source would not retract in the source holder.
WNS6 December 11 0 Security Commercial Security event. Confidential.
5099 December 16 1 Stolen Industrial A portable gauge (Category 4) stolen from a parked truck. Recovered the same day.
5100 December 18 0 Spill Commercial Spill > 100 EQ technetium-99m. No skin contamination. No overexposures.
5106 December 23 0 Breach of security Medical Security system door found disarmed. No exposure. No loss of control. No nuclear substances missing.

Appendix F: Inspections conducted in 2020

Table 19: Inspections conducted in 2020

Inspection date Licensee name City Province/State Inspection type Sector
2020-01-02 Sirati & Partners Consultants Ltd. King City ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-09 GeoPro Consulting Limited Richmond Hill ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-09 ARCADIS Canada Inc. Richmond Hill ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-13 Acorn Packaging Inc. Mississauga ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-13 2061607 Alberta Inc. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-14 Uniboard Canada Inc. Laval QC Type II Industrial
2020-01-14 Inspectrum Testing Inc. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-14 Galey Inspection Services Ltd. County of Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-14 Resolute FP Canada Inc. / PF Résolu Canada Inc. Montréal QC Type II Industrial
2020-01-14 Resolute FP Canada Inc. / PF Résolu Canada Inc. Montréal QC Type II Industrial
2020-01-14 Honeywell Ltd Mississauga ON Type II Commercial
2020-01-14 9372-2619 Québec inc. Alma QC Type II Industrial
2020-01-14 Pembina Pipeline Corporation Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-15 Resolute FP Canada Inc. / PF Résolu Canada Inc. Montréal QC Type II Industrial
2020-01-15 Groupe Conseil SCT inc. Sainte-Julie QC Type II Industrial
2020-01-15 Cal Frac Well Services Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-15 Cal Frac Well Services Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-15 Honeywell Ltd Mississauga ON Type II Commercial
2020-01-16 J.L. Shepherd and Associates San Fernando CA Type II Commercial
2020-01-16 Inspectrum Testing Inc. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-16 S.G.H. Inspection Ltd. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-16 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Chicoutimi QC Type II Medical
2020-01-16 Resolute Growth Canada Inc. / Croissance Résolu Canada Inc. Saint-Félicien QC Type II Industrial
2020-01-17 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Chicoutimi QC Type II Medical
2020-01-17 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Chicoutimi QC Type II Medical
2020-01-17 Healthy Heart Institute Inc. Red Deer AB Type II Medical
2020-01-20 Golder Associates Ltd. Mississauga ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-20 Miller Paving Limited Markham ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-20 Baker Hughes Canada Company Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-20 Baker Hughes Canada Company Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-20 Wright Quality Services Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 Terraprobe Testing Ltd. Brampton ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 Terraprobe Testing Ltd. Brampton ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 Medical Imaging Consultants Edmonton AB Type II Medical
2020-01-21 TISI Canada Inc. Oakville ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 TISI Canada Inc. Oakville ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 Alco Gas & Oil Production Equipment Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 Alco Gas & Oil Production Equipment Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 Peto MacCallum Ltd. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-21 Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada Company/ Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-22 City of Edmonton, Engineering Services Section Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-22 Medical Imaging Consultants Edmonton AB Type II Medical
2020-01-22 London Health Sciences Centre London ON Type II A&R
2020-01-22 London Health Sciences Centre London ON Type II A&R
2020-01-22 London Health Sciences Centre London ON Type II A&R
2020-01-22 Triquest Nondestructive Testing Corp. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-22 2273044 Ontario Inc. Vaughan ON Type II Medical
2020-01-22 Wood Canada Limited / Wood Canada Limitée Oakville ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-22 DS Consultants Ltd. Vaughan ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-22 KMH Cardiology Centres Incorporated Mississauga ON Type II Medical
2020-01-22 KMH Cardiology Centres Incorporated Mississauga ON Type II Medical
2020-01-23 Syncrude Canada Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-23 Peterborough Regional Health Centre Peterborough ON Type II Medical
2020-01-23 Peterborough Regional Health Centre Peterborough ON Type II Medical
2020-01-23 Stuart Hunt & Associates Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Commercial
2020-01-23 St. Joseph’s Health Care, London London ON Type II Medical
2020-01-23 St. Joseph’s Health Care, London London ON Type II Medical
2020-01-23 St. Joseph’s Health Care, London London ON Type II A&R
2020-01-23 St. Joseph’s Health Care, London London ON Type II Medical
2020-01-23 St. Joseph’s Health Care, London London ON Type II Medical
2020-01-23 Triquest Nondestructive Testing Corp. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-24 TISI Canada Inc. Oakville ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-24 Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. / La Brasserie Labatt limitée Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-24 3M Canada Company London ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-29 Stantec Consulting Ltd. Edmonton ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-29 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Trois-Rivières QC Type II Medical
2020-01-29 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Trois-Rivières QC Type II Medical
2020-01-30 PQ Canada Company Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-01-30 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Trois-Rivières QC Type II Medical
2020-01-30 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Trois-Rivières QC Type II Medical
2020-01-30 Dow Chemical Canada ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-01-30 Dow Chemical Canada ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-03 Northriver Midstream Inc. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-03 Northriver Midstream Inc. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-03 Kodiak Quality Control Inc. Guelph ON Type II Commercial
2020-02-04 Willow Creek Mining Complex Limited Tumbler Ridge BC Type II Industrial
2020-02-04 Brule Mining Complex Ltd. Tumbler Ridge BC Type II Industrial
2020-02-04 Stasuk Testing and Inspection Inc. Burnaby BC Type II Industrial
2020-02-05 Iotron Industries Canada Inc. Port Coquitlam BC Type II Industrial
2020-02-05 Canadian Food Inspection Agency Ottawa ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-05 Atomic Inspection Services Ltd. Fort St. John BC Type II Industrial
2020-02-05 Buffalo Inspection Services (2005) Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-05 NDT Group Inc. Brantford ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-06 Core Laboratories Canada Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-06 Atomic Inspection Services Ltd. Fort St. John BC Type II Industrial
2020-02-06 Buffalo Inspection Services (2005) Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-06 Gemtec Consulting Engineers and Scientists Limited Fredericton NB Type II Industrial
2020-02-10 Tomlinson Enterprises Ltd. Sarnia ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-10 Scanning Technologies Inc. Sherwood Park AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-11 BAKOSNDT Ltd. Whitecourt AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-11 The Graff Company Ltd. Mississauga ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-11 NOVA Chemicals Corporation Sarnia ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-11 NOVA Chemicals Corporation Sarnia ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-11 Spartan Controls Ltd.   AB Type II Commercial
2020-02-12 ARLANXEO Canada Inc. Sarnia ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-12 Shell Canada Limited Calgary ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-12 Shell Canada Limited Calgary ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-12 Vingrity NDT & Technical Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-13 Bluewater Health Sarnia ON Type II Medical
2020-02-13 J.T. Donald Consultants Limited Markham ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-13 Clean Harbors Environmental Services Corunna ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-13 Terrapex Environmental Ltd. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-14 Medical Imaging Centres Inc. Mississauga ON Type II Medical
2020-02-18 University of Ottawa Ottawa ON Type II A&R
2020-02-18 Forward Engineering & Associates Inc. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-18 CNOOC Petroleum North America ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-18 Peto MacCallum Ltd. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-18 Cenovus Energy Inc. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 Weatherford Canada Partnership Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 Weatherford Canada Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 Weatherford Canada Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 Weatherford Canada Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 University Health Network Toronto ON Type II Medical
2020-02-19 University Health Network Toronto ON Type II Medical
2020-02-19 University Health Network Toronto ON Type II Medical
2020-02-19 University Health Network Toronto ON Type II Commercial
2020-02-19 University Health Network Toronto ON Type II Commercial
2020-02-19 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 Canadian Natural Resources Limited Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-19 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Pointe-Claire QC Type II Medical
2020-02-19 Suncor Energy Inc./Suncor Énergie Inc. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-20 Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal Montréal QC Type II A&R
2020-02-20 Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal Montréal QC Type II Medical
2020-02-20 Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-20 Industrial Radiography Supplies & Services Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Commercial
2020-02-20 D. Crupi & Sons Limited Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-20 Edward Wong & Associates Inc. Markham ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-20 SGS Canada Inc.   ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-20 Qualitest Canada Ltd. Nisku AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-20 Sultan Management Group Inc.   AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-20 Le Groupe Dimension Multi Vétérinaire Inc. Montréal QC Type II Medical
2020-02-20 Le Groupe Dimension Multi Vétérinaire Inc. Montréal QC Type II Medical
2020-02-21 Canadian Construction Materials Engineering & Testing Inc. Burnaby BC Type II Industrial
2020-02-21 Cott Corporation Pointe-Claire QC Type II Industrial
2020-02-24 Oshanek Inspection Services (1972) Ltd. Fox Creek AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-24 Inspectrum Testing Inc. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-24 Genpak Ltd. Aurora ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-24 CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal Montréal QC Type II Medical
2020-02-24 CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal Montréal QC Type II Medical
2020-02-24 CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal Montréal QC Type II Medical
2020-02-24 WSP Canada Inc. Montréal ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-25 20/20 ND Technology Inc. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-25 Certified Testing Systems (2009) Inc. Kitchener ON Type II Industrial
2020-02-25 Gamma Spec NDT Ltd. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-25 S.G.H. Inspection Ltd. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-25 Seven Generations Energy Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-25 Kinectrics Inc. Toronto ON Type II Commercial
2020-02-26 Trican Well Service Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-26 TechSpec NDT Limited Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-26 Jubilant DraxImage Inc. Kirkland QC Type II Commercial
2020-02-27 Intrepid NDE Testing Corp. Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-27 TechSpec NDT Limited Grande Prairie AB Type II Industrial
2020-02-28 The Michener Institute of Education at UHN Toronto ON Type II A&R
2020-03-03 University College of the Fraser Valley Abbotsford BC Type II Medical
2020-03-03 Dörken Systems Inc. Beamsville ON Type II Industrial
2020-03-03 Valley Geotechnical Engineering Services Ltd. Langley BC Type II Industrial
2020-03-03 Intertek Testing Services NA Ltd Coquitlam BC Type II Industrial
2020-03-03 Bartek Ingredients Inc. Stoney Creek ON Type II Industrial
2020-03-04 Cott Corporation Pointe-Claire QC Type II Industrial
2020-03-04 Wood Canada Limited / Wood Canada Limitée Port Hope ON Type II Industrial
2020-03-05 Frontier Sonde Inc. Richmond   BC Type II Industrial
2020-03-05 Eastern Regional Health Authority St. John’s NL Type II Commercial
2020-03-06 Similco Mines Ltd. (Copper Mountain) Vancouver BC Type II Industrial
2020-03-09 EnergySolutions Canada Corporation Brampton ON Type II Commercial
2020-03-09 Kodiak Quality Control Inc. Guelph ON Type II Commercial
2020-03-10 SNC- Lavalin GEM Ontario Inc. Vaughan ON Type II Industrial
2020-03-10 Atlantic Steel Processing Inc. Mississauga ON Type II Industrial
2020-03-12 Grey Bruce Health Services Owen Sound ON Type II Medical
2020-03-12 Grey Bruce Health Services Owen Sound ON Type II Medical
2020-03-12 GM Blueplan Engineering Limited Guelph ON Type II Industrial
2020-03-13 Harold Sutherland Construction Ltd. Kemble ON Type II Industrial
2020-04-28 Abraflex (2004) Ltd. Paisley ON Type II Commercial
2020-07-02 Owens Corning Guelph ON Type II Industrial
2020-07-08 Cott Corporation Pointe-Claire QC Type II Industrial
2020-07-21 Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada Company/ Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-07-22 Moosehead Breweries Limited Saint John NB Type II Industrial
2020-07-29 Cascades Canada ULC Montréal QC Type II Industrial
2020-07-30 EPC Industries Limited Amherst NS Type II Industrial
2020-08-05 HLV2K Engineering Limited Mississauga ON Type II Industrial
2020-08-09 Best Theratronics Ltd. Ottawa ON Type II Commercial
2020-08-13 Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation Inc. Saskatoon SK Type I Commercial
2020-08-19 Ray-Tech Inspection Inc. Beaverlodge AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-20 Albéa Canada Inc. Brampton ON Type II Industrial
2020-08-20 Construction DJL Inc./ Boucherville QC Type II Industrial
2020-08-25 Packall Packaging Inc. Brampton ON Type II Industrial
2020-08-26 Parkland Geotechnical Consulting Ltd. Red Deer AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-27 Construction Testing Asphalt Lab Ltd. Cambridge ON Type II Industrial
2020-08-27 Big Guns Energy Services Inc. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-27 ROHI Engineering Ltd. Ponoka AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-27 Celanese Canada ULC Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-28 Aurora Inspection Limited Sexsmith AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-28 Mistras Canada, Inc. Red Deer AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-28 Mistras Canada, Inc. Red Deer AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-28 Nortech Advanced N.D.T. Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-28 Greater Niagara Medical Imaging Inc. St. Catharines ON Type II Medical
2020-08-31 International Paper Company Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-08-31 Evolution Mining Gold Operations Ltd. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-08-31 Evolution Mining Gold Operations Ltd. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-08-31 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Ottawa ON Type II A&R
2020-09-02 IRISNDT Corp. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-02 J.R. Paine & Associates Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-02 Healthwise Diagnostics Inc. Thornhill ON Type II Medical
2020-09-02 Domtar Inc. Espanola ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-02 Buffalo Inspection Services (2005) Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-03 CMD Medical Imaging Centre Inc. Thornhill ON Type II Medical
2020-09-03 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-03 Kelt Exploration Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-08 College of the North Atlantic Stephenville NL Type II Industrial
2020-09-08 NuVista Energy Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-09 Golder Associates Ltd. Mississauga ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-09 Toronto Cardiology Associates Inc. Toronto ON Type II Medical
2020-09-09 Athabasca Oil Corporation Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-09 Stantec Consulting Ltd. Dartmouth NS Type II Industrial
2020-09-10 Milestone Engineering Services Ltd. Wabasca AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-10 ConocoPhillips Canada Resources Corp. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-11 Capital City Paving Ltd. Victoria BC Type II Industrial
2020-09-15 Tuboscope Vetco Canada ULC Nisku AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-16 Breton N.D. Testing Incorporated Reserve Mine NS Type II Industrial
2020-09-16 Aecom Canada Ltd. Burnaby AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-17 Island Asphalt Ltd. Saanichton BC Type II Industrial
2020-09-17 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Montréal QC Type II Medical
2020-09-18 PM Technical Services Ltd. Cobble Hill BC Type II Industrial
2020-09-18 8109796 Canada Inc. Longueuil QC Type II Industrial
2020-09-21 Stantec Consulting Ltd. Dartmouth NS Type II Industrial
2020-09-22 Canada Fluorspar (NL) Inc. St. John’s NL Type II Industrial
2020-09-22 Canada Fluorspar (NL) Inc. St. John’s NL Type II Industrial
2020-09-22 WSP Canada Inc. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Golder Associates Ltd. Mississauga ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Terraprobe Testing Ltd. Brampton ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Terraprobe Testing Ltd. Brampton ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Soil Engineers Ltd. Richmond Hill ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Soil Engineers Ltd. Richmond Hill ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Border Paving Ltd. Red Deer AB Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Forward Engineering & Associates Inc. Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Kollaard Associates Inc. Kemptville ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Thomas Cavanagh Construction Limited Ashton ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 GHD Consultants Ltd. Saint-Laurent QC Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 CIMA + S.E.N.C Laval QC Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Construction DJL Inc./ Boucherville QC Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 British Columbia Cancer Agency Vancouver BC Type II A&R
2020-09-23 EXP Services Inc. / Les Services EXP Inc. Lévis QC Type II Industrial
2020-09-23 Best Theratronics Ltd. Ottawa ON Type II Commercial
2020-09-24 Highlands Operations Limited Saint John NB Type II Industrial
2020-09-28 College of the North Atlantic Stephenville NL Type II Industrial
2020-09-28 Collective Arts Brewing Limited Hamilton ON Type II Industrial
2020-09-29 Western Memorial Regional Hospital Corner Brook NL Type II Medical
2020-09-29 Western Memorial Regional Hospital Corner Brook NL Type II Medical
2020-09-29 Ryzuk Geotechnical Ltd. Victoria BC Type II Industrial
2020-09-29 SNC -Lavalin Industrial Atlantic Inc. Mount Pearl NL Type II Industrial
2020-09-29 SNC -Lavalin Industrial Atlantic Inc. Mount Pearl NL Type II Industrial
2020-09-29 Associate Veterinary Clinics (1981) Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Medical
2020-09-29 Honeywell Ltd Lachine QC Type II Commercial
2020-09-30 Canadian Royalties Inc. Montréal QC Type II Industrial
2020-09-30 Schlumberger Canada Limited Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-01 City of Calgary Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-01 McIntosh Lalani Engineering Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-01 Terracon Geotechnique Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-01 TISI Canada Inc. Oakville ON Type II Industrial
2020-10-01 New Brunswick Power Corporation Fredericton NB Type II Industrial
2020-10-01 Stantec Consulting Ltd. Dartmouth NS Type II Industrial
2020-10-01 Imperial Oil Resources Limited/Pétrolière Impérial Ressource Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-02 Canadian Natural Resources Limited Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-05 Bay Cardiac Diagnostic Inc. Toronto ON Type II Medical
2020-10-06 Minerai de Fer Québec Inc. Montréal QC Type II Industrial
2020-10-07 The Corporation of the City of Oshawa Oshawa ON Type II Industrial
2020-10-07 Quantum Pertrophysics Sigma Blackfalds AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-07 Wood Canada Limited / Wood Canada Limitée Port Hope ON Type II Industrial
2020-10-08 St. Marys Cement Inc. (Canada) Toronto ON Type II Industrial
2020-10-09 Cardiovascular Care Centre Inc. Etobicoke ON Type II Medical
2020-10-09 First Inspection and Testing Group Ltd. Fort McMurray AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-09 Kinectrics Inc. Teeswater ON Type II Commercial
2020-10-13 Non-licensee Vancouver BC External complaint Commercial
2020-10-14 Provincial Health Services Authority Vancouver BC Type II Commercial
2020-10-16 Ballard Power Systems Inc. Burnaby BC Type II Industrial
2020-10-16 AllRock Consulting Limited Corner Brook NL Type II Industrial
2020-10-16 AllRock Consulting Limited Corner Brook NL Type II Industrial
2020-10-16 Teck Coal Limited Vancouver BC Type II Industrial
2020-10-16 Teck Coal Limited Vancouver BC Type II Industrial
2020-10-17 Strilkiwski Contracting Ltd. Dauphin MB Type II Industrial
2020-10-19 Acuren Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-19 Kamit Group Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-20 DST Consulting Engineers Inc. Thunder Bay ON Type II Industrial
2020-10-22 LH North Ltd. Rosslyn ON Type II Industrial
2020-10-23 Canadian Natural Resources Limited Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-23 The Toronto Cardiac Clinic Inc. Toronto ON Type II Medical
2020-10-22 Eastern Regional Health Authority St. John’s NL Type I Commercial
2020-10-26 Grand River Hospital Corporation Kitchener ON Type II Medical
2020-10-27 Construction Norascon Inc. Amos QC Type II Industrial
2020-10-28 Aker Solutions Asset Integrity and Management Canada Inc. St. John’s NL Type II Industrial
2020-10-28 Canadian Natural Upgrading Limited Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-10-29 Apex Diagnostic Services Inc. Mississauga ON Type II Medical
2020-10-30 SoilTech Consulting Ltd. Prince George BC Type II Industrial
2020-11-03 Nova Scotia Power Incorporated Halifax NS Type II Industrial
2020-11-04 Nova Scotia Power Incorporated Halifax NS Type II Industrial
2020-11-04 Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-04 NARL Refining Inc. Come By Chance NL Type II Industrial
2020-11-04 NARL Refining Inc. Come By Chance NL Type II Industrial
2020-11-04 Canadian Kraft Paper Industries Ltd. The Pas MB Type II Industrial
2020-11-05 Les Diamants Stornoway (Canada) Inc. / Stornoway Diamonds (Co Longueuil QC Type II Industrial
2020-11-06 British Columbia Institute of Technology Burnaby BC Type II A&R
2020-11-06 British Columbia Institute of Technology Burnaby BC Type II Industrial
2020-11-06 British Columbia Institute of Technology Burnaby BC Type II Commercial
2020-11-06 Arauco Canada Limited St. Stephen NB Type II Industrial
2020-11-06 E Construction, a division of N.P.A. Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-06 National Research Council Ottawa ON Type II A&R
2020-11-10 Fundy Engineering & Consulting Limited Saint John NB Type II Industrial
2020-11-13 Nighat Geo Services Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-16 Husky Oil Operations Limited Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-18 WestPine M.D.F. Vancouver BC Type II Industrial
2020-11-19 West Fraser Mills Ltd. Hinton AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-19 Goldcorp Canada Ltd. South Porcupine ON Type II Industrial
2020-11-19 Geowest Testing Services Ltd. North Vancouver BC Type II Industrial
2020-11-19 Geninovation (9152-4629 Québec Inc.) Saint-Laurent QC Type II Industrial
2020-11-19 Geotrek Land Survey Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-19 University of Guelph Guelph ON Type II Medical/A&R
2020-11-20 Knight Vision Inspections Inc. Regina SK Type II Industrial
2020-11-23 Brody Inspection Ltd. Valleyview AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-24 Kawartha Diagnostic Imaging Ltd. Peterborough ON Type II Medical
2020-11-25 Impexxus Medical Imaging Inc. Woodbridge ON Type II Medical
2020-11-25 ALSTOM Power Installation Canada Inc. New Waterford NS Type II Industrial
2020-11-26 Milner Power Inc. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-11-26 Vale Newfoundland & Labrador Limited St. John’s NL Type II Industrial
2020-11-26 Canadian Construction Materials Engineering & Testing Inc. Burnaby BC Type II Industrial
2020-11-26 EXP Services Inc. / Les Services EXP Inc. Sydney NS Type II Industrial
2020-11-27 Ezeflow Inc. Granby QC Type II Industrial
2020-11-27 Ezeflow Inc. Granby QC Type II Industrial
2020-11-30 Autoliv Canada Inc. Tilbury ON Type II Industrial
2020-12-01 Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières QC Type II Industrial
2020-12-02 Regional Health Authority B Fredericton NB Type II Medical
2020-12-02 Regional Health Authority B Fredericton NB Type II Medical
2020-12-02 Resolute FP Canada Inc. / PF Résolu Canada Inc. Montréal QC Type II Industrial
2020-12-03 West Fraser Mills Ltd. Slave Lake AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-03 Taranis Contracting Group Ltd. Thunder Bay ON Type II Industrial
2020-12-04 860851 Alberta Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-04 Pembroke Regional Hospital Inc. Pembroke ON Type II Medical
2020-12-04 Pembroke Regional Hospital Inc. Pembroke ON Type II Medical
2020-12-04 React Radiography Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-07 Streamline Inspection Limited Rocky View AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-07 Journey Engineering Corporation Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-08 RTD Quality Services Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-08 Alco Gas & Oil Production Equipment Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-08 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Trois-Rivières QC Type II Medical
2020-12-08 Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux Trois-Rivières QC Type II Medical
2020-12-09 BAKOSNDT Ltd. Whitecourt AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-09 BAKOSNDT Ltd. Whitecourt AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-09 Tusk Inspection Services Inc. Fox Creek AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-09 Kamit Group Ltd. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-10 Reliance OFS Canada Ltd. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-10 Cordax Evaluation Technologies Inc. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-10 Plains Midstream Canada ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-10 Plains Midstream Canada ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-11 Inter-Cité Construction Limitée Chicoutimi QC Type II Industrial
2020-12-11 EnviroGeotech Consulting Inc. Medicine Hat AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-11 Kontur Geotechnical Consultants Inc. Port Coquitlam BC Type II Industrial
2020-12-14 Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-14 WAV Inspection Ltd. Brooks AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-15 Stasuk Testing & Inspection Ltd. Burnaby BC Type II Industrial
2020-12-15 Groupe Conseil SCT inc. Sainte-Julie QC Type II Industrial
2020-12-15 Groupe Conseil SCT inc. Sainte-Julie QC Type II Industrial
2020-12-15 Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-15 Canadian Cutting & Coring (Toronto) Ltd Brampton ON Type II Industrial
2020-12-16 West Fraser Mills Ltd. Blue Ridge AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-16 West Fraser Newsprint Ltd. Vancouver AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-16 Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux des Laurentid Saint-Jérôme QC Type II Medical
2020-12-16 Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux des Laurentides Saint-Jérôme QC Type II Medical
2020-12-16 MEG Energy Corp. Calgary AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-16 NWP Industries General Partner Ltd.. Innisfail AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-17 BWXT Canada LTD. Cambridge ON Type II Industrial
2020-12-17 Groupe Conseil SCT inc. Sainte-Julie QC Type II Industrial
2020-12-18 McMaster University Hamilton ON Type II A&R
2020-12-18 Erie Shores Healthcare Leamington ON Type II Medical
2020-12-18 Acuren Inc. Edmonton AB Type II Industrial
2020-12-18 Mevex Corporation Stittsville ON Type I Commercial
2020-12-23 Walgren Soils Testing Ltd. Nelson BC Type II Industrial
2020-12-23 Bruce MacNeil Engineering Ltd. o/a BME Engineering Ltd. Bedford NS Type II Industrial

Appendix G: Compliance rating level

The following rating levels, as shown in table 20, reflect the transition in rating terminology used by the CNSC. While some inspection reports may still use the previous rating levels, licensees using nuclear substances and radiation devices can expect this transition to take place over time.

At the direction of the Commission, the “fully satisfactory” rating will no longer be used in regulatory oversight reports (RORs), starting with the 2020 RORs. Where compliance meets or exceeds expectations, a rating of “satisfactory” is assigned. Ratings of fully satisfactory in previous RORs will not be changed.

Table 20: Compliance rating terminology

Previous rating level Description New rating level Description
A and B Meets expectations SA Satisfactory
C Improvement is required

BE

Below expectations

D This area is seriously compromised
E Breakdown UA Unacceptable

Satisfactory (SA)

Safety and control measures implemented by the licensee are sufficiently effective. In addition, compliance with regulatory requirements is satisfactory. Compliance within the SCA meets requirements and CNSC expectations. Any deviation is minor and any issues are considered to pose a low risk to the achievement of regulatory objectives and CNSC expectations. Appropriate improvements are planned.

Below expectations (BE)

Safety and control measures implemented by the licensee are marginally ineffective. In addition, compliance with regulatory requirements falls below expectations. Compliance within the SCA deviates from requirements or CNSC expectations to the extent that there is a moderate risk of ultimate failure to comply. Improvements are required to address identified weaknesses. The licensee is taking appropriate corrective action.

Unacceptable (UA)

Safety and control measures implemented by the licensee are significantly ineffective. In addition, compliance with regulatory requirements is unacceptable and is seriously compromised. Compliance within the SCA is significantly below requirements or CNSC expectations, or there is evidence of overall non-compliance. Without corrective action, there is a high probability that the deficiencies will lead to unreasonable risk. Issues are not being addressed effectively, no appropriate corrective measures have been taken and no alternative plan of action has been provided. Immediate action is required.

Appendix H: Relevant documents

H.1 Act and regulations

H.2 Regulatory documents

Other relevant documents (some have since been superseded by regulatory documents published in 2021)

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