Abstract

The transport of radioactive material is one of the safest practices thanks to the regulation and to the security measures and radiological protection applied. Like other practices with ionizing radiation, it also requires the verification of safety requirements, which is why an adequate safety assessment is crucial. In the safety evaluations, different methodologies are applied, such as the risk matrix method; the latter is used in radiotherapy, industrial radiology, nuclear medicine, logging, and for the first time for the transport of radioactive material.

In the framework of the consolidation of high dangerous radioactive waste, in Colombia, the need was identified to confine category 1 sources of ⁶⁰Co categorized as extremely dangerous, used in radiotherapy, which must be re-exported or transferred for final disposal. Due to the characteristics of the sources and the time elapsed for their management, the transport in packages is required by virtue of a special arrangement, packages with a total level of security, adequate operational control and some additional measures.

Taking into account the dangerous nature of the sources and characteristics for transport, it was necessary to apply the risk matrix method to obtain the assessment of safety for land transport, paying special attention to defense in depth, quantitative analysis and the application of a differentiated approach for the transport of ⁶⁰Co category 1 sources. 

The safety assessment concluded that, in any of the cases, as a result of the occurrence of initiating events, the consequences are high, however, the robustness of the safety barriers,
the consequence reducers and the frequency reducers maintain the practice at low risks