Please read this before using presentation

 This presentation is based on content presented at the

Mines Safety Roadshow held in October 2009
 It is made available for non-commercial use (e.g. toolbox
meetings) subject to the condition that the PowerPoint is
not altered without permission from Resources Safety
 Supporting resources, such as brochures and posters, are
available from Resources Safety
 For resources, information or clarification, please contact:
RSDComms@dmp.wa.gov.au
or visit
www.dmp.wa.gov.au/ResourcesSafety
2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 1
 Toolbox presentation

Radiation safety
Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM)
and managing the risks

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 2

 Radiation protection – what is it?

 Science of protecting people and the

environment from the harmful effects of
ionizing radiation, which includes both
particle radiation and high energy
electromagnetic radiation

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 3

 Radiation protection in mining is more
commonplace than you may think
40 years of mining, processing and transporting radioactive minerals
Beenup AMC
Bunbury Bemax
Capel BHP
Chandala Cable Sands
Cooljarloo Doral
Eneabba Hanwa
Fremantle Iluka
Geraldton Isk Minerals
Gingin Jennings
Greenbushes Lynas
Kalgoorlie Rio Tinto
Kintyre RGC
Kwinana Rhone Poulenc
Mt Weld Sons of Gwalia
Mt Walton Talison Minerals
Narngulu Tiwest
Picton Western Mining
Pinjarra Western Titanium
Yeelirrie Westralian Sands

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 4

 NORM – what is it?

 Naturally-occurring radioactive material (NORM) — term

describing materials containing radionuclides that exist in
the natural environment
 Parent radionuclides have decay times (half-lives)
comparable with or longer than the age of the Earth, so
they have always been present in the Earth’s crust and
within the tissues of all living species

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 5

 NORM – radionuclides

 The radionuclides of interest include long-lived radionuclides such as

 uranium-238 (
238U)

 uranium-235 (235U)

 thorium-232 (
232Th)

and their radioactive decay products such as isotopes of

 radium

 radon

 polonium

 bismuth

 lead

and individual long-lived radionuclides such as

 potassium-40 (40K)

 rubidium-87 (87Rb)

 indium-115 (115In)

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 6

 Radiation – what is it?

 Radiation — energy travelling through space. Sunlight, radio waves

and microwaves are forms of radiation at low-frequency end of energy
spectrum
 Type of radiation created by uranium is ionizing radiation
 Background radiation — everyone exposed to naturally occurring
ionizing radiation from space, radioactive atoms in the air, the Earth
and even our own bodies
 Most atoms stable and will never change, but certain atoms are always
changing or decaying in a process by which they eventually become
stable as completely different elements (e.g. uranium will naturally turn
into lead after billions of years)
 As an unstable atom decays, its atomic structure changes, releasing
radiation as gamma rays and alpha and beta particles
2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 7
 Types of ionizing radiation

 Alpha (α) radiation consists of a fast

moving Helium-4 (4He) nuclei and is
stopped by a sheet of paper.
 Beta (β) radiation, consisting of electrons,
is halted by an aluminium plate.
 Gamma (γ) radiation, consisting of
energetic photons, is eventually absorbed
as it penetrates a dense material.
 Neutron (n) radiation consists of free
neutrons, which are blocked using light
elements, like hydrogen, which slow or
capture them.

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 8

 Mining radiation levels compared with
other NORM exposures

Comparative values using 1 as typical gamma radiation level/hour in WA

1 natural background in Western Australia
3 typical for exploration site with 0.05-0.06 wt % U mineralisation (Lake Maitland)
4 natural background in some areas of Perth Hills
some cement
5 typical for exploration site with 0.10 wt % U mineralisation (Lake Way)
certain phosphate fertilisers
6 some ceramic tiles
7 typical for exploration site with 0.14-0.15 wt % U mineralisation (Mulga Rock)
coal burning slag
10 on board a local WA flight
14 phosphate mine
16 titanium minerals

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 9

 Mining radiation levels compared with
other NORM exposures (continued)

20 typical for exploration site with 0.40 wt % U mineralisation (Kintyre)

22 zirconium minerals
25 geothermal energy generation waste
40 heavy mineral sands concentrate
60 on board an international flight
80 tin concentrate
120 uranium mine or processing plant
250 rare earth mineral processing plant
400 coal mine (underground water discharge points on the surface)
500 some areas of titanium dioxide pigment plant
1000 contaminated equipment from oil and gas industry
2500 rare earth mineral (monazite)

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 10

 Mining radiation exposure levels in
perspective
Typical radiation dose a worker could receive
at a uranium mine (5 mSv/year)
*****
Maximum radiation
exposure limit
in one year (50 mSv)
2009 Mines Safety Roadshow
****************************************
**********
****************************************
**********
****************************************
**********
****************************************
**********
****************************************
**********
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
**************************************** Amount of radiation
****************************************
**************************************** (1000 mSv) that
****************************************
**************************************** may cause you
****************************************
****************************************
serious harm
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
****************************************
11
 What is special about ionizing radiation?

• Everyone exposed to
radiation, often without
knowing it
• Human senses cannot
detect it
• Historical association with
nuclear activities
• Impossible to determine if
there is exposure level
below which there is no
effect ARPANSA

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 12

Uranium 238
decay

Main difference
between exploration
phase and mining
phase is the chemical
processing used in
mining to extract
uranium
Processing frees up
decay products that
remain in waste and
can cause health or
environmental issues
if not managed
correctly

13
 What are the relative risks of radiation
exposure?

Relative risk of 1-in-a-million chances of dying from

activities common to our society
 Smoking 1.4 cigarettes (lung cancer)
 Eating 40 tablespoons of peanut butter
 Spending 2 days in Sydney CBD (air pollution)
 Driving 65 kilometres in a car (accident)
 Flying 4000 kilometres in a jet (accident)
 Canoeing for 6 minutes
 Receiving 0.1 mSv of radiation (cancer)

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 14

 Radiation Worker's Handbook

 More information on radiation

protection available in Radiation
Workers’ Handbook

 Download from Australian

Uranium Association
 http://aua.org.au/

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 15

 Regulation of U mining in WA based on
national and international standards

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 16

 MSIR Part 16 – Radiation safety

 Exemptions
 Dose limits

 Monitoring requirements

 Radiation management plan

 Radiation Safety Officer

 Defects

 Notifications

 Supervised and controlled areas

 Young and pregnant persons

 Designated employees

 Dose reduction

 Exposure control

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 17

 MSIR Part 16 – Radiation safety (continued)

 Respiratory protection
 Reporting

 Record keeping

 Approvals

 Import and removal of radioactive material

 Storage

 Stockpile control

 Waste disposal

 Using best technology

 Discharges

 Abandonment

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 18

 Radiation management plan (RMP)

16.7. Preparation of radiation

management plan
(1) Each responsible person at a
mine must ensure that a plan for
the safe management of radiation
at the mine that complies with
subregulation (2) is prepared —
(a) in the case of an existing mine,
as soon as is practicable after the
commencement day; or
(b) in any other case, before mining
operations commence at the
mine.

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 19

 RMP - minimum requirements
 Company and site details
 Employee workgroup details
 Type of activity (drilling, mining,
processing)
 Work and hygiene practices
 Radiation monitoring equipment
 Activity and personnel monitoring
 Storage of radioactive material
 Disposal of radioactive material
 Decontamination of equipment
 Recording of monitoring data
2009 Mines Safety Roadshow
 Reporting to regulators
 Environmental considerations
and site radiological clean up
 Training
 Transport of radioactive material
 Pre- and post-activity background
monitoring (including ground
water sampling where practical)
RMP complexity
Processing > Mining >> Exploration
20
 NORM Guidelines - Preparation of RMP

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 21

 System of radiation protection

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 22

 General principles of dose control

Radiation Type Controls Monitoring

(Dose pathway)
Gamma Time, distance, shielding Personal TLD badges,
survey meters

Personal TLD badge

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 23

 General principles of dose control

Radiation Type Controls Monitoring

(Dose pathway)
Gamma Time, distance, shielding Personal TLD badges,
survey meters

Alpha emitters in Dust suppression, Personal air samplers

airborne dust extraction systems, PPE

Personal air sampler

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 24
 General principles of dose control

Radiation Type Controls Monitoring

(Dose pathway)
Gamma Time, distance, shielding Personal TLD badges,
survey meters

Alpha emitters in Dust suppression, Personal air samplers

airborne dust extraction systems, PPE

Radon decay products Ventilation, PPE Workplace air sampling

Workplace air sampler

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 25
 General principles of dose control

Radiation Type Controls Monitoring

(Dose pathway)
Gamma Time, distance, shielding Personal TLD badges,
survey meters

Alpha emitters in Dust suppression, Personal air samplers

airborne dust extraction systems, PPE

Radon decay products Ventilation, PPE Workplace air sampling

Ingestion of dust Personal and crib room Surface alpha

cleanliness contamination surveys

Ensure monitoring instruments are

accurately calibrated and working correctly

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 26

 Safe work practices

 Use hierarchy of controls

 What PPE is likely to be used?

Overalls, safety glasses, P2 dust
mask, safety boots, gloves

 Importance of good hygiene

Personal and clothing

2009 Mines Safety Roadshow 27