New WINS International Best Practice Guide: 5.7 Security of Radioactive Sources Used in Industrial Radiography & Well-Logging Applications

Numerous industries use radioactive sources for essential operations, including aerospace, automotive, casting & forging, chemical & petroleum, construction, food processing, metals & non-metals and pipelines. Thousands of these sources are in use for well-logging and industrial radiography around the world, and many are moved on an almost daily basis from one jobsite to another. Given their vast number, their portability, and the frequency with which they are transported, these sources are potentially vulnerable to being lost or stolen.

Clearly, companies whose radioactive sources are integral to their work need to put a comprehensive risk mitigation programme in place for their sources. Such a programme should include well-maintained physical protection provisions supplemented by sustainable procedures, training requirements for staff and exercises involving response arrangements with law enforcement agencies. It is the responsibility of national authorities and their regulatory agencies to define the threat, develop the required regulations and provide security response for incidents developing beyond users’ capabilities. Users are responsible for creating security procedures for source handling. Customers, the third-party companies benefiting from services provided by the organisation using radioactive sources, also need to pay attention to related security issues and develop in-house procedures because sources in the field are used on their premises.

In preparing this guide, we have taken note of the experiences of professionals around the world, such as industrial radiographers, well loggers and security personnel, who are employed by companies and organisations that utilise or regulate the use, storage and transport of radioactive sources. We have also incorporated information from various WINS workshops on the topic.

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