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Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals

NORM and Radiation Safety in Oil and Gas

Scale scraped from production tubing can carry enough radium to count as radioactive waste, and crews who cut, grind or blast such equipment without controls take that dose home with them. The course explains where naturally occurring radioactive material comes from in a reservoir and how radium, lead 210 and radon concentrate in scale, sludge and gas processing equipment. Radiation fundamentals, dose limits and the ALARA principle come next, followed by survey instruments and contamination monitoring. Practical controls then take centre stage: area classification, protective equipment, decontamination, waste packaging, storage, disposal routes and transport. Sealed sources used in industrial radiography and nucleonic gauges are covered as a separate hazard. Safety staff leave able to run a NORM survey programme and supervise contaminated work in line with national radiation regulations.

5 day course

Course objectives

  • Explain how NORM forms and accumulates in oil and gas equipment
  • Describe the radiation types, units and dose limits relevant to workers
  • Select and use survey meters and contamination monitors correctly
  • Classify work areas and set controls under the ALARA principle
  • Plan decontamination of tubulars, vessels and gas plant components
  • Package, store, transport and dispose of NORM waste lawfully
  • Manage sealed sources used in radiography and nucleonic gauges
  • Prepare a radiation protection programme for an oil and gas site

Who should attend

  • HSE advisers and radiation protection officers
  • Production and maintenance supervisors
  • Well services and workover crews
  • Waste management and decontamination contractors
  • Regulators responsible for radiation safety in industry

Course outline

  1. 01Origins of NORM in petroleum systems
  2. 02Radiation fundamentals and units
  3. 03Health effects and dose limits
  4. 04Survey instruments and monitoring
  5. 05Work controls and protective equipment
  6. 06Decontamination methods
  7. 07Waste handling, transport and disposal
  8. 08Sealed sources and the radiation protection programme

Scheduled sessions

Scheduled sessions for NORM and Radiation Safety in Oil and Gas
DatesVenueFormatPriceRegister
16 to 20 November 2026Harare, ZimbabweClassroomUSD 1,325 per delegate
14 to 18 December 2026OnlineOnlineR8,500 per delegate
22 to 26 March 2027Durban, South AfricaClassroomR19,950 per delegate

NORM and Radiation Safety in Oil and Gas

From R8,500

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