Transport of Radioactive Materials in the Oil & Gas Industry

Course Description

Introduction

Transport operations involving radioactive material occur within the oil and gas
industry on a daily basis, generally without harm to persons and/or the environment.
However, the controls over such movements are often less well understood than the
controls over other types of dangerous goods shipments.

Most consignments of radioactive materials (Class 7 dangerous goods) between
onshore and offshore facilities involve multi-modal transport operations i.e. transport
by sea and by road. The controls over the transport of radioactive materials are
described in national and international legislation. Transport of dangerous goods at
sea is covered by the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG) and, in
the U.K., transport by road is subject to the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of
Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009, which implements most of the
requirements of the European Agreements Concerning the International Carriage of
Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR).

Both the IMDG Code and ADR require that persons involved in the transport chain,
from the consignor presenting radioactive materials for transport to the consignee
who ultimately takes receipt of the materials, receive appropriate training.
The aim of this course is therefore to provide general awareness training, functionspecific
training and safety training as required by ADR and IMDG, for those persons
involved in the transport chain to satisfy the requirements under IMDG and ADR.

Who is this course aimed at?

The course is aimed at persons involved in the transport chain, from the consignor
presenting radioactive materials for transport to the consignee ultimately taking
receipt of the materials. The course is therefore suitable for, but not limited to, the
following:

• Users of mobile radioactive sources
• Logistics and materials co-ordinator
• Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPSs)
• Persons involved in NORM work
• Stores personnel
• Shippers of dangerous goods including radioactive material
• Harbour personnel

No previous knowledge is required, however it is recognised that many of the delegates wishing to attend may have attended previous training courses in the transport of dangerous goods (e.g. Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA)). The course is not a substitute for the DGSA course, nor is it suitable for persons who require driver training under the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2007. Rather, it is intended to provide additional knowledge of this often poorly understood subject.

Course Delivery and Structure

This is a classroom-based course, taught over two days using a mixture of lectures, desktop exercises and practical exercises. Although the course has a formal structure, there will be the opportunity throughout for discussion and delegates will be encouraged to share knowledge and experiences in an informal environment.

The courses are presented by accredited Radiation Protection Advisers (RPAs), each of whom has many years of experience in providing radiation protection advice in a wide variety of industries in which radioactive materials are used or are commonly encountered, particularly the oil and gas industry.

Aims of the Course

The main aims of the course are:

• To describe the basic properties of ionising radiation
• To describe the units used in radiation protection and in the transport legislation
• To provide an overview of the different types of radioactive materials encountered in the oil and gas industry
• To make delegates aware of the different legislation applicable to transport operations by sea and road
• To describe the system of protection from the effects of radiation during transport operations
• To describe the classification system for dangerous goods including radioactive materials
• To describe package types, categories of packages and the requirements for packages
• To describe the package marking and labelling requirements
• To describe the requirements for transport documents
• To detail the duties of all persons involved in the transport operations

Course Assessment

This is an assessed course. The assessment will include short answer questions and multiple-choice questions.

Course Admnistration

This is a two-day course, which will be run at our offices in Aberdeen and Billingham.