The CNSC's regulatory framework plan: Glossary

Conventional health and safety

Implementation of a program to manage workplace safety hazards and to protect personnel and equipment.

Environmental protection

Programs that identify, control and monitor all releases of radioactive and hazardous substances, as well as their effects on the environment.

Emergency management and fire protection

Emergency plans and emergency preparedness programs which exist for emergencies and for non-routine conditions. This also includes any results of participation in exercises.

Fiscal year (FY)

The CNSC’s fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31:

• first quarter (Q1) is April 1 – June 30
• second quarter (Q2) is July 1 – September 30
• third quarter (Q3) is October 1 – December 31
• fourth quarter (Q4) is January 1 – March 31

Fitness for service

Activities that impact on the physical condition of structures, systems and components to ensure that they remain effective over time. This includes programs that ensure all equipment is available to perform its intended design function when called upon to do so.

Human performance management

Activities that enable effective human performance through the development and implementation of processes to ensure that licensee staff is sufficient in number in all relevant job areas, and has the necessary knowledge, skills, procedures and tools in place to safely carry out its duties.

Management system

The framework which a) establishes the processes and programs required to ensure an organization achieves its safety objectives, and b) continuously monitors its performance against these objectives, while fostering a healthy safety culture.

Nuclear power plant

A nuclear facility consisting of any fission-reactor installation that has been constructed to generate electricity on a commercial scale.

Nuclear substances and radiation devices

This category includes use of sealed sources such as logging, subsurface zone location and tracer studies, borehole tube tagging, geophysical logging accelerators and radioactive check sources. It also includes storage of nuclear substances, temporary possession (no usage) of nuclear substances or the possession of deuterium.

Operating performance

An overall review of the conduct of the licensed activities and the activities that enable effective performance.

Packaging and transport

Programs related to the safe packaging and transport of nuclear substances and radiation devices to and from the licensed facility.

Physical design

Activities that impact on the ability of structures, systems and components to meet and maintain their design basis given the new information arising over time and taking into account changes in the external environment.

Radiation protection

Implementation of a radiation protection program in accordance with the Radiation Protection Regulations. This program must ensure that contamination and radiation doses received are monitored and controlled.

Safety analysis

Maintenance of the safety analysis that supports the overall safety case for the facility. Safety analysis is a systematic evaluation of the potential hazards associated with the conduct of a proposed activity or facility and considers the effectiveness of preventative measures and strategies in reducing the effects of such hazards.

Safeguards and non-proliferation

The programs required for the successful implementation of the obligations arising from the Canada/International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreements as well as all other measures arising from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Security

The programs required to implement and support the security requirements stipulated in the regulations, licenses or orders, or in the regulatory expectations for a given facility or activity.

Small reactor facility

A reactor facility that has a power level less than 200 megawatts thermal. Some of the uses for small reactors include research, isotope production, steam generation and electricity production.

Waste management

Radioactive waste is any material (liquid, gaseous or solid) that contains a radioactive nuclear substance (as defined in section 2 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act), for which the owner has no foreseen use, and which is determined to be a waste product. The waste management safety and control area includes internal waste-related programs, which form part of the facility’s operations up to the point where the waste is removed from the nuclear facility and taken to a separate waste management facility. It also covers the planning for decommissioning.