Development of a waste management process for naturally occurring radioactive material in the South African mining industry

Abstract

The South African Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) regulatory framework provides guidance on most matters associated with radiation protection within the mining and minerals processing sphere, but definitive guidance on radiation protection for NORM waste post closure is lacking. This thesis suggests a structured process for the justification of radiation protection decisions and offers guidance on the utilisation of management systems and possible sources of information available to the radiation protection professional. The structured process is applied to a copper mine and smelter (Palabora Mining Company or PMC), thereby demonstrating its effectiveness.