AREVA > Home > Publications > Uranium in Saskatchewan > Radiation Protection and Worker Safety 2007

Uranium in Saskatchewan

Radiation Protection and Worker Safety 2007

The safety of workers is a top priority. The industry directly employs 105 people working full time to ensure safe working environments (including radiation protection) exist for employees. All sites are monitored regularly to spot any potential hazards that may develop.

Employees at uranium operations are monitored continuously for radiation exposure. This is achieved by individual radiation dosimeters carried by employees. These devices record the cumulative radiation dose received. The dosimeters are submitted regularly to independent radiation monitoring agencies. Health Canada maintains a central registry of the results which are provided to the employer companies, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and to all individual employees. In addition to cumulative exposure monitoring, special personal dosimeters are also used that provide immediate feedback of radiation exposure levels. Certain areas in the workplace are also equipped with devices that record and display continuous ambient radiation levels.

The Saskatchewan uranium industry consistently demonstrates that it meets the standards set out by CNSC for radiation exposure. In 2007, the average total effective dose to workers in the industry (including contractors) was approximately 3.6% of the annual average allowable limit (20 millisieverts) set by regulators. All employees in the industry were below this limit. The highest exposure recorded to any single employee in 2007 was approximately 25% of the annual maximum limit (50 millisieverts).