The reactor containment building at MNR houses an industrial hot cell: a lead-shielded remote handling facility designed for working with substantial quantities of radioactive materials. Work is conducted via manipulators (mechanical arms) behind a one meter thick lead and oiled lined glass window. The facility includes a small air-lock system providing passage to the reactor pool. In addition, a large access door at the rear of the facility allows for movement of large pieces of equipment; access ports for instruments are also available. A variety of work is done in the hot cell, ranging from sterilization to nuclear dating to instrument calibration.

The industrial hot cell houses a 10 kCi (370 TBq) Cobalt-60 source that was acquired in 2011; a second gamma irradiation facility consisting of a 1 kCi (37 TBq) Cs-137 source is located adjacent to the McMaster Accelerator Laboratory. Both sources are used extensively for controlled, high level irradiations necessary for biological studies and materials research, as well as for industrial applications.