Important Reminder - Hazardous Substance

Important Reminder About Hazardous Substance

The Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority (HSRA), an Agency of the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, is reminding its stakeholders that in accordance with the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act, 2015 (NSRP Act), all importers of radiation sources are required to have a valid HSRA import permit for presentation at the Jamaica Customs Agency (JCA) for clearance of such commodities.

 

Failure to comply with the requirement constitutes a breach of Section 210 of the Customs Act and may attract fines. There may also be charges associated with storage, as the imported item/s will remain at the port pending the presentation of the HSRA import permit. 

 

Also be advised, that import permits are only issued to end-users who are duly authorized with the HSRA; a process which can take an average of 30 business days, as it requires preparation and submission of several documents, payment of fees, a site inspection and consideration of the application by the Technical Committee of the HSRA Board, which currently meets twice a month. 

 

Radiation sources covered under the legislation include, but are not limited to the following:

 

1.        Industrial equipment such as gauges (Nuclear/Moisture Density/Compaction/ XRay), XRF/XRD analyzers, Full Scan Vehicle Imaging Systems and Baggage Scanners.

 

2.      Medical and Dental equipment used in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures such as,  Conventional X-ray Units, Linear Accelerators, Cobalt-60 Teletherapy Units, PET/ SPECT Scanners, Mammography Units,  Fluoroscopy Units, Veterinary X-ray Units, Intraoral and Portable Dental Unit, Whole Body Bone Densitometers, Radioisotopes.

 

3.       Equipment used in research/education/agriculture such as check sources. 

 

In light of the foregoing, the HSRA is encouraging all end-users to complete the authorization process as soon as possible, so your future import needs can be facilitated in a timely manner and avoid the potentially high costs associated with any breach of the legal requirements.  

Click HERE and register to keep abreast of what's happening and join my support group.