FAQ

What steps must a clinic take to build and use X-ray rooms?

The sequence is as follows:

A shielding assessment must be carried out to allow you to determine the shielding in the walls. You’ll find the service call form online.
One of our physicists must conduct a visual check of the installed shielding BEFORE the walls are closed for major projects, like X-ray rooms in hospitals or clinics. In dentists’ and chiropractors’ clinics, the physicist can do this assessment during the final inspection.
The physicist’s final inspection takes place once the equipment is installed and operational. You’ll find the service call form online.
The final inspection report, which includes the current shielding assessment, must be submitted to the LSPQ if you have a radiology laboratory license.

I have new X-ray equipment. Do I still have to have it inspected?

The inspection requirement for X-ray equipment concerns all equipment: new, used or moved from one location to another. The physicist’s final inspection takes place once the equipment is installed and operational. You’ll find the service call form online. The frequency of inspection of X-ray equipment (for human patients only) is as follows:

Computed tomography (CT) scan (hospitals): 1 year
Mammography: 6 months
General radiography, including chiropractic: 2 years
Dentist: 3 years

Are RSO or radiation safety courses mandatory?

If you are a Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) licensee, your radiation safety officers (RSO) and users of radionuclides are required to be trained by a competent person/organization. The CNSC stipulates the frequency of these courses as follows:

RSO course: 5 years
User courses: 3 years

These frequencies are indicated in your radiation protection manual.

If you are involved in the transport of Class 7 dangerous goods (nucleodensimeter, radiopharmaceuticals), Transport Canada requires that you renew your training certificate at the following frequencies:

TDG by land: 3 years
TDG by air: 2 years

For information on our training courses, please visit our training page.

Is it necessary to use a consultant to apply for a CNSC license?

No. You are responsible for filling out your license application using the required documents, which can be found on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission webpage. However, we file many license applications every year and are always happy to guide you. To contact us, email [email protected].

Who can receive an administrative monetary penalty (AMP) from the CNSC?

Any legal or physical person can receive an AMP from the CNSC. Ranging from $300 to $100,000, the amount of the penalty varies according to the severity of the violation.

To learn more, consult the CNSC’s regulations on this subject.

What are the regulatory requirements for my industrial X-ray machine?

X-ray machines used for imaging (other than human patients) are regulated similarly:

The Radiation Emitting Devices Act and the Radiation Emitting Devices Regulations are in place to regulate the basic operating standards and display of the devices.
Provincial regulations add minimal radiation protection provisions and public dosimetry, device registration, etc.
Health Canada’s safety guidelines assist users in setting up a radiation protection program.

If you have any questions or would like our advice, please email us at [email protected].

Frequently Asked Questions