Preface
This is the second edition of CSA N292.3, Management of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste. It supersedes the previous edition published in 2008.
This Standard provides specific requirements for the management of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste to protect the health and safety of people, physical security, and the environment for the life cycle of radioactive waste.
This Standard was originally developed in response to a need for guidelines consistent with international recommendations. It incorporates best practices and existing regulatory requirements. This Standard also draws on the operating experience of radioactive waste generators, waste brokers, and those who regulate, operate, and conduct research and development on radioactive waste processing, storage, and long-term management facilities in Canada.
This edition has been updated to reflect current industry practice and regulatory changes. Major changes to this edition include
a) clarification of the scope (i.e., radioactive waste addressed throughout the life-cycle up to the point of disposal);
b) updated reference publications;
c) the removal of definitions and requirements generic to all radioactive waste classifications, which now appear in N292.0; and
d) the addition of a requirement that this edition of this Standard be applied in conjunction with CSA N292.0, which defines general principles of radioactive waste management and provides a classification system for radioactive waste in Canada.
Users of this Standard are reminded that additional and site-specific requirements might be specified by federal, provincial, or municipal authorities. This Standard should not be considered as a replacement for the requirements contained in the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and its Regulations or other legislation, standards, or guides. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission might impose additional requirements to those specified in this Standard.
The CSA N-Series Standards provide an interlinked set of requirements for the management of nuclear facilities and activities. CSA N286 provides overall direction to management to develop and implement sound management practices and controls, while the other CSA nuclear Standards provide technical requirements and guidance that support the management system. This Standard works in harmony with CSA N286 and does not duplicate the generic requirements of CSA N286; however, it may provide more specific direction for those requirements.
Scope
1.1
This Standard provides requirements specific to the management of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste in solid, liquid, or gaseous states.
Note: The general requirements of radioactive waste management and classification are provided in CSA N292.0.
1.2
This Standard applies to waste organizations and facilities, including nuclear power reactors, research institutes, medical facilities, manufacturing facilities, laboratories, and industrial facilities that generate, possess, manage, and transport low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste throughout the life-cycle up to the point of disposal.
Note: Waste organizations may refer to; waste generators, waste receivers, waste brokers, waste carriers, and waste processors.
1.3
The following types of radioactive waste are not addressed in this Standard:
a) high-level radioactive waste (including irradiated nuclear fuel);
b) naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM);
c) technologically enhanced, naturally occurring radioactive material (TENORM); and
d) uranium mine and mill tailings.
1.4
In this Standard, shall is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the standard; should is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and may is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.
Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.
Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.
Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.
