Information and guidance for radioactive substances users who are not nuclear site licence companies.
If you intend to carry out a radioactive substances activity, you may need to apply to us for a permit before you start. You should use this guidance and form if you are:
- not a nuclear site licence holder and doing a radioactive substances activity in England or Wales
- a nuclear site licence holder doing your radioactive substances activity off your site using mobile radioactive apparatus or operating an off-site facility
- a tenant on a nuclear licensed site doing your radioactive substances activity on or off that site
If you are a nuclear site licence holder doing your radioactive substances activity on the licensed site you should use our nuclear guidance and form:
Radioactive Substances are widely used in hospitals, universities and industry by organisations that range from small, single-site companies to large multinationals. Those uses are important and wide-ranging and include:
- the diagnosis and treatment of patients
- controlling the raw material used in manufacturing processes
- testing the safety and quality of pipes, boilers and vessels
We regulate about 2000 sites using radioactive substances. About a third of those sites also generate radioactive waste. We work with each site to help them keep and use their radioactive substances safely and securely and to demonstrate high standards of waste management and environmental protection.
Radioactive Substances Regulation (RSR)
The Environmental Permitting Regulations set out who needs a permit:
Find the guidance and forms you need to apply for, change, transfer or surrender a RSR environmental permit:
Find guidance on how to comply with your environmental permit:
Contact us
You can talk about the permitting process with our Permit Support Centre staff by phoning 01142 800 678 or 01142 800 682 or emailing:
You can also ask to speak to your local RSR officer, Permit Support Centre staff can tell you who that is. We recommend you do this if you've not had a permit before.
