NS RWM6 key terms

The national authority that issues licences, sets safety requirements, and inspects facilities that handle radioactive material, acting independently of the organisations it regulates.

A binding requirement attached to a regulatory authorisation that limits how radioactive material may be handled, stored, discharged, or transferred, and which the operator must comply with at all times.

The radiation protection principle requiring that any practice producing exposure must deliver more benefit than harm, so unnecessary uses of radioactive material are avoided.

The principle of keeping exposures as low as reasonably achievable, taking economic and social factors into account, applied through design, procedures, and management commitment.

A prospective restriction on individual dose from a single source, used in planning to ensure that combined exposures stay below regulatory limits and support optimisation.

The maximum legally permitted radiation dose to a person from regulated practices, set separately for workers and members of the public and never to be exceeded.

The total effective dose delivered to a person over fifty years after intake of radionuclides, calculated from intake activity and dose coefficients for the route of entry.

The activity of a radionuclide that, if taken into the body in a year, would result in a committed effective dose equal to the relevant dose limit.

The airborne activity concentration of a radionuclide that would cause a reference person to receive an annual limit on intake if exposed over a working year.

A regulatory decision that material or a practice falls below clearance levels or poses trivial risk, so that some or all licensing requirements do not apply.

A radionuclide-specific activity concentration below which material may be released from regulatory control and managed as ordinary waste or reused without restriction.

Waste containing only small amounts of short-lived radionuclides, suitable for disposal in near-surface facilities with limited engineered barriers and minimal long-term controls.

Waste with limited radionuclide content that requires containment and isolation but generates little heat, typically disposed of in engineered near-surface facilities.

Waste with activity concentrations exceeding low level waste criteria and requiring shielding and long-term isolation, but generating too little heat to need special cooling provisions.

Waste generating significant heat through radioactive decay, requiring shielding, cooling, and deep geological disposal, typically arising from spent fuel reprocessing.

Documented requirements that a waste package must meet, covering radionuclide content, chemical form, package strength, and dose rate, before a disposal facility will accept it.

Operations that convert waste into a stable, immobilised form, such as cementation or vitrification, so it can be safely handled, stored, and disposed of.

Fixing radioactive waste within a solid matrix or container to limit radionuclide release, prevent dispersion, and provide mechanical and chemical stability over long periods.

The combined waste form, internal immobilising matrix, and outer container as presented for storage, transport, or disposal, meeting defined acceptance criteria.

The practice of separating waste by radionuclide content, activity level, half-life, and physical or chemical form at the point of generation to keep disposal routes viable.

Determining the physical, chemical, and radiological properties of waste through measurement, records, or modelling, so that it can be classified and routed correctly.

Measurement of radionuclide content in waste packages using external gamma or neutron detection, without opening or altering the package being examined.

Permanent emplacement of waste in a deep engineered facility within a stable rock formation, relying on multiple barriers to isolate radionuclides from the biosphere.

A manufactured component such as a container, backfill, or liner that limits water contact and radionuclide migration within a storage or disposal facility.

A geological or hydrological feature, such as low-permeability rock or a long groundwater pathway, that slows or prevents radionuclide movement to the environment.

The structured argument and supporting evidence demonstrating that a facility or activity is safe throughout its lifetime, including assessment of normal operation and accident conditions.

Liquid or gaseous radioactive material discharged from a facility under authorised limits, monitored and reported to confirm that public doses remain acceptable.

A regulatory numerical restriction on the activity, concentration, or rate of radionuclides released in effluent over a defined period.

Systematic sampling and measurement of air, water, soil, and biota around a facility to verify that releases are controlled and that public exposure stays within limits.

Natural and man-made radiation present in the environment without contribution from the facility being monitored, used as a baseline for interpreting survey results.

A transport package designed to withstand severe accident conditions, including impact, fire, and immersion tests, for contents exceeding Type A activity limits.

A transport package meeting general design and drop-test requirements, suitable for limited quantities of radioactive material that would not cause severe consequences if released.

A number assigned to a package or overpack that limits radiation dose rates at a defined distance and is used to control stowage and segregation during transport.

The organisation responsible for preparing a radioactive consignment, ensuring classification, packaging, marking, labelling, and documentation meet transport regulations before handover.

A documented set of arrangements, roles, and procedures for responding to accidents or incidents involving radioactive material, including notification, assessment, and protective actions.

A graded scheme that categorises incidents by severity to trigger defined response levels, mobilise resources, and inform off-site authorities appropriately.

A measure taken to reduce exposure during an emergency, such as sheltering, evacuation, or issuing stable iodine, justified by the expected averted dose.

The planned system of procedures, audits, and controls that ensures structures, systems, and activities affecting safety perform as intended and meet specified requirements.

The ability to reconstruct the history, location, and handling of radioactive material or a waste package through linked records from generation to final destination.

The requirement to keep specified documents, such as assay results, shipment records, and dose assessments, for defined periods so that compliance can be demonstrated later.