NORM Safety in Canada — Definition, Hazards & the Law

If your work involves drilling, crushing, processing, burning or filtering mineral-bearing materials, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) may become concentrated in the dust, scale, sludge, ash and other residues that work leaves behind. In Canada, the handling and disposal of naturally occurring radioactive material are regulated primarily by the provincial and territorial governments. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regulates it in specific circumstances, including certain imports, exports, transportation and nuclear-energy-related activities. 1,2

The Canadian Guidelines for the Management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (the Canadian NORM Guidelines) provide recommended dose limits and a framework for managing exposure. Legal duties also come from the radiation and workplace-safety provisions that apply to your operation. This page sets out what naturally occurring radioactive material is, where the law actually sits, the dose limits to consider, and what an employer has to do about it. 3

What is NORM?

Naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) is a naturally occurring substance that contains radioactive elements such as uranium, thorium, and radium. NORM can be found in soil, rocks, water, and even in food. When an industrial process concentrates that material above its natural levels, it is often called technologically enhanced NORM, or TENORM. 1,3,4

What are the main types of NORM?

NORM is not one substance. Most of the NORM that matters for occupational radiation protection is associated with the uranium-238 and thorium-232 decay series, which have been in the earth’s crust since it formed, and with potassium-40, a naturally occurring isotope found throughout the environment, including in food. 3,4

• Uranium (the U-238 series) — one of the parent elements in these decay chains. Workers may encounter it in mineral extraction and processing, including the phosphate fertilizer industry. 3
• Thorium (the Th-232 series) — the other parent chain. Thorium and its decay products contribute to the radiation from NORM-bearing minerals and residues. 3
• Radium — a decay product in both chains. Oil and gas production and water treatment can concentrate radioactive material in scale and sludge. Cutting, grinding or descaling contaminated equipment can release particles that workers may breathe in. 3,1
• Potassium-40 — a naturally occurring radioactive isotope of potassium, including in the food supply. Its presence is a useful reminder that detecting radioactivity and assessing a workplace dose are different steps. 3,4

What are the main hazards of NORM radiation?

Even low doses of radiation exposure may produce harmful effects. The risk of radiation-induced disease, including cancer later in life, depends on the total radiation dose a person receives over time. 3,4

NORM can emit three types of radiation, and they behave differently: 3

• Alpha (α) radiation is made up of heavy, charged particles that travel only a short distance, even in air. They are stopped by a sheet of paper.
• Beta (β) radiation consists of lighter charged particles that penetrate farther than alpha radiation. The shielding required depends on the radiation and its energy.
• Gamma (γ) radiation consists of high-energy rays and is the most penetrating of the three. It is substantially reduced by suitable shielding rather than stopped outright, and how much shielding is needed depends on the energy of the radiation, the activity of the source and the material used.

That difference is why a NORM dose assessment is built from more than one component. The Canadian NORM Guidelines treat total effective dose as three categories: 3

• External dose — gamma and beta radiation reaching the body from outside it, from NORM-bearing scale, sludge, ore, residues or stored product. How much dose this delivers depends on the composition and activity of the material and on how long a worker spends near it, so external exposure cannot be set aside on the grounds that the material is sealed inside equipment.
• Internal dose from intake of NORM radionuclides — material taken into the body by inhalation or ingestion, other than radon. Inhalation means breathing in particles released when material is cut, ground or otherwise disturbed. Ingestion means swallowing material carried from contaminated hands or surfaces to food, drink or cigarettes. Once inside the body, radioactive material delivers dose directly to tissue.
• Radon and its progeny — assessed separately, as cumulative exposure to radon decay products. Radon is released from NORM-bearing material and may accumulate in enclosed or poorly ventilated work areas.

Surface contamination is not itself one of these dose categories. It is the way radioactive material gets moved around: from equipment onto skin, clothing, tools and work surfaces, and from there into the body or off the site. Contamination control and hygiene help prevent a transfer from becoming an intake. 1,3

What dose limits apply to NORM work?

The Canadian NORM Guidelines establish recommended dose limits for occupational and public exposure. They were developed by the Federal Provincial Territorial Radiation Protection Committee. They provide a national reference for NORM management; they do not replace binding requirements in the jurisdiction where the work takes place. 3

Recommended effective dose limits in the Canadian NORM Guidelines, Table 2.1

Pregnancy: Table 2.1, note (b), of the Guidelines recommends limiting the effective dose to an occupationally exposed worker to 4 mSv for the balance of a known pregnancy. Check the jurisdiction’s binding requirements separately; applicable provincial limits may differ. 3

These are recommended values, not a single legislated limit for all Canadian workplaces. Where the jurisdiction you work in sets its own binding dose limits, those apply as law. Check the applicable federal, provincial or territorial requirements in the table further down this page. 3

Two things are easy to miss about these numbers. First, the Guidelines exclude natural background radiation except radon, and exclude medical exposures. Second, the occupational figure is a five-year limit of 100 mSv, corresponding to an average of 20 mSv a year, with no more than 50 mSv in any single year. 3

Which limit applies depends on which of three categories a person falls into: 3

• Occupationally exposed workers — employees exposed to NORM as a result of their regular duties. The Guidelines call these NORM workers, and the 20 mSv annual average is theirs.
• Incidentally exposed workers — employees whose regular duties do not include NORM exposure. The Guidelines treat them as members of the public who happen to work in an exposure environment, so the 1 mSv annual figure applies.
• Members of the public — people without occupational exposure. For planning purposes the Guidelines apply a dose constraint of 0.3 mSv in a year, tighter than the limit itself, to allow for exposure from multiple sources.

What are the four NORM program classifications?

The Guidelines sort a workplace into one of four classifications, based on the assessed dose. Their investigation threshold is a potential incremental dose above 0.3 mSv per year to workers or the public, triggering a site-specific assessment. Section 3.3 then distinguishes these classifications: 3

• Unrestricted — an assessed incremental dose below 0.3 mSv/a for members of the public and below 1 mSv/a for workers. Under this classification, the Guidelines do not call for a NORM management program.
• NORM Management — an assessed incremental dose to the public or to incidentally exposed workers greater than 0.3 mSv/a.
• Dose Management — applies where the estimated incremental annual effective dose to an occupationally exposed worker is greater than 1 mSv/a.
• Radiation Protection Management — applies where the estimated annual effective dose to an occupationally exposed worker is greater than 5 mSv/a. It calls for a formal radiation protection program, described in Guidelines Appendix F.

Radon has its own assessment and classification provisions in section 4.2 of the Guidelines. A low reading for one pathway does not settle the assessment of the others. Exposure should be kept as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA), and applicable legal requirements still govern the work. 3

What does federal law say about NORM?

Naturally occurring nuclear substances are exempt from most of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act when they are not and have not been associated with the development, production or use of nuclear energy. The exemption is not complete. It does not apply to transport provisions, or to import and export provisions where the substance is listed in the schedule to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Import and Export Control Regulations. Outside those circumstances, NORM handling and disposal are primarily provincial and territorial responsibilities. 2,1

The Canadian NORM Guidelines are not legally binding in themselves. They are the document federal, provincial and territorial regulators developed together to support NORM management. Legal obligations come from the applicable federal, provincial or territorial legislation. 3

Shipments of NORM may fall under federal transport requirements, depending on the material and the applicable exemptions. The Packaging and Transport of Nuclear Substances Regulations, 2015 incorporate the IAEA transport regulations by reference and set requirements for transporting nuclear substances. The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations may also apply. Assess the shipment under the current rules before selecting its packaging, marking and transport documentation. 5,1

In workplaces covered by the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, two provisions are particularly relevant to NORM-related workplace hazards: 6

• COHSR s.10.26(4) — until January 30, 2027, when the change below takes effect, an employee other than a nuclear energy worker must not be exposed to an annual average radon concentration higher than 800 Bq/m³.
• COHSR s.10.14 — a general hazardous-substance provision: the employer must develop and implement an employee education and training program for hazard prevention and control, in consultation with the policy committee or, if there is none, the workplace committee or health and safety representative. Subsection 10.14(3) requires a review at least annually and when conditions or available hazard information change.

The radon limit is changing. Under SOR/2026-10, the federal occupational radon limit in s.10.26(4) drops from 800 Bq/m³ to 200 Bq/m³ on January 30, 2027, for employees other than nuclear energy workers. 7

What are the provincial and territorial rules for NORM?

The scope of radiation-specific provisions varies. Some are equipment-specific, drafted around X-ray machines and similar sources. Others regulate radiation exposure more broadly. Some exclude natural background radiation, though industrial NORM and TENORM are not automatically the same thing as natural background. Whether a particular provision applies depends on its wording and the work being done. The table below shows the instrument to start from in each case.

Where a jurisdiction publishes dose limits, those are its own limits for its own scheme. They are not interchangeable with the Guidelines’ recommended NORM figures above. Equipment-specific rows should not be read as a blanket NORM rule for every worker.

Federal, provincial and territorial provisions relevant to a NORM assessment

What training do workers around NORM need?

NORM safety training teaches the people who work around naturally occurring radioactive material what it is, how it delivers dose, and how to limit exposure. It covers where NORM concentrates in industrial processes, the three dose categories, the dose limits that apply, the controls that keep exposure down, and the reporting and record-keeping that go with them. 3

Awareness training is the base layer. It helps an employer inform and instruct workers about a hazard in their workplace. Workers who carry dosimetry, hold permits, or work inside a formal radiation protection program need training suited to those duties and their employer’s program. 3,6

Who is responsible for NORM safety?

Responsibility sits with the employer, and it is a chain rather than a single obligation. Federally, section 125(1)(q) of the Canada Labour Code requires the employer to provide the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to protect employees, and section 125(1)(s) requires that every employee be made aware of every known or foreseeable hazard in the area where they work. The provincial and territorial instruments above set duties within their own scope. 27

For NORM, the Guidelines’ approach runs in order: establish whether NORM is present; assess the dose it could deliver by each pathway; classify the workplace against the thresholds above; put controls in place; and train the people who work inside them. Awareness training supports that last step. It does not replace the assessment, the classification or the controls — it helps people understand and follow them. 3

Who must be trained on NORM?

The Canadian NORM Guidelines name the industries and activities where NORM can concentrate: 3

• Mineral extraction and processing — including the phosphate fertilizer, abrasives and refractory industries.
• Oil and gas production — NORM in liquids and gases from hydrocarbon-bearing formations.
• Metal recycling — contaminated material redistributed into new products.
• Forest products and thermal-electric production — mineral ashes from combustion concentrating NORM from plant material and coal.
• Water treatment facilities — sorptive media and ion-exchange resins; radon release.
• Tunnelling and underground workings — caverns, electrical vaults, tunnels and sewer systems.

Use the exposure assessment to identify who needs training and at what level, including contractors and maintenance crews brought in for a single job. Being on this industry list does not, by itself, establish a particular worker’s dose or the legal training requirement. 3

Which part of the training can be done online?

General NORM awareness training can be completed online. The subject is knowledge-based: recognizing where NORM concentrates, understanding external dose, internal intake and radon exposure, and knowing the controls and the reporting duties. The eSafetyFirst NORM Safety Awareness course has two online modules and two tests, with an estimated duration of 40 minutes.

Depending on the hazards at a particular site and the rules of the jurisdiction, additional site-specific instruction, practical training or competency assessment may also be required. Under section 10.14 of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, for example, a covered employer has to develop its program through the required consultation and review it at least annually and when conditions or hazard information change. If your work involves dosimetry, permits or a formal radiation protection program, check what your employer expects on top of awareness. 6,3

What should workers be taught about NORM?

Training should match the hazards and responsibilities identified for the work. The Guidelines support covering these practical topics: 3

• What NORM is and where industrial work concentrates it.
• External dose, internal intake and radon, and how each is assessed.
• Dose, dose limits and what an assessed dose means for your workplace’s classification.
• The controls: work procedures, protective equipment, contamination control and hygiene.
• Emergency procedures — what to do in an emergency involving the material; federally regulated workplaces must include this in their hazardous-substance education program. 6
• Monitoring and dosimetry — when they apply and who provides them.
• Reporting and record-keeping, including dose records and the National Dose Registry where applicable.
• The rules and procedures that apply where you work.

Does the law set an expiry date for the training?

The cited federal, provincial and territorial provisions do not set a single Canada-wide expiry period for general NORM awareness training. The Canadian NORM Guidelines set recommended dose limits and program classifications, but do not prescribe a fixed awareness-course renewal cycle. 3 The eSafetyFirst NORM Safety Awareness certificate carries a printed expiry of two years from completion.

This two-year renewal period is eSafetyFirst’s program policy, separate from the employer’s legal duties. A certificate on its own does not establish that training covers the hazards and procedures at a particular site. 6,3

Review training when a new process or equipment changes exposure, when the workplace’s program classification changes, or when a worker moves into a role with different responsibilities. Federal section 10.14 requires program review at least annually and in response to specified changes; that is a program-review duty, not an automatic annual expiry for every course certificate. 6,3

Key takeaways

NORM is not exotic. It is ordinary ground material that ordinary industrial work can concentrate, and its risks need to be assessed and controlled. The practical sequence is to find out whether NORM is present, work out what dose it delivers, control the exposure, and make sure the people doing the work understand what they are handling. Awareness training supports that understanding for people who could come into contact with it. 3