Ionising radiation is employed in a number of areas in industry and research. Common to this use of radiation is that the radiation source is acquired for a special purpose, that is, it is wished to use the radiation actively in order to achieve some effect or other: for example, process control, materials control such as welding photography (industrial radiography), tracer studies, logging of wells in the oil industry, charge removal in car-painting and so forth.

When radiation is used in this way, there will always be an owner of the radiation sources, and the requirements imposed by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority are primarily directed to such owners.