Ionizing Radiation In Australia

Any organisational function that uses ionizing radiation is subject to safety requirements to ensure the protection of people who could be exposed as a result of the function. The requirements applied in Australia originate from the Basic Safety Standards (BSS) for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources, issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency, as Safety Series 115. The standards stipulate requirements for notification of the Regulatory Authority of the intention to undertake a practice, and for authorization by licensing. The role of the Regulatory Authority in Australia is carried out by Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) (ARPANSA 1998). The Department of Defence

1.2 Records: Each licensee is required to keep records relating the radiation exposure and type of personnel monitoring device used for each radiation worker.

1.3 Storage: Radioactive substances are required to be stored in a properly designed container to which is affixed a radiation hazard symbol and a label giving details of the contents. Sealed radioactive sources are required to be labelled ‘DANGER - RADIOACTIVE’.

1.4 Control: Requirements for control of radiation exposure and of radioactive contamination are specified. Unsealed radioactive substances may be used only by personnel trained in the relevant hazards and appropriate decontamination procedures and have available suitable contamination monitoring instruments.

1.5 Transport: Radioactive materials may be transported only when they are packed, shielded, labelled and marked in accordance with the provisions of the

Typically the facility or site RSO will be contacted and a consultation with all staff members within the area where the non-compliance was discovered, will take place. In the case of 1. and 2. the procedures will need to be enhanced and the records updated but in the case of 3. it is possible that the item(s) need to be appropriately handled and isolated pending removal to the licensed Defence repository. Assistance will also be requested from the WHS unit to help with the collection and entry of information and data for the purpose of updating records, and producing safety procedures in the appropriate document format. In all cases consultation and communication is vital across the stakeholders as no one person may hold the solution to the problem and at the end all stakeholders need to be informed of the status of the improvement action. Equally important is that communication and notification of the incident takes place, in good faith, to inform RSAP, WHS unit and DRSE. It is desirable to have consultation mechanism for staff relating to the development, implementation and review of policies and procedures for radiation hazard identification, risk assessment and control. It is intended that such approach would build trust in the people and processes needing to manage radiation safety. In reality the regular scheduled program of policy review and controlled