Surveys and area monitoring to document radiation levels, contamination with radioactive materials, and potential worker exposures.A dosimetry program in which personal exposure monitoring is conducted, as required by federal or state regulations, for external dose and, as needed, for internal dose. It is a guiding principle in radiation protection used to eliminate radiation doses that have no direct benefit. ALARA stands for As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA).Qualified staff (e.g., RSO, health physicist) to provide oversight and responsibility for radiation protection policies and procedures.In some states, equipment registration requirements may include regular inspections, shielding, or signage. Registrants may be required to perform equipment tests or allow state or local inspectors to perform equipment tests. Some radiation sources, such as most X-ray equipment and some accelerators, must be registered with a state agency (e.g., state radiation control agency, state health department) or local agency (e.g., health department) and different registration requirements may apply, depending on the agency. Equipment registration or licensing helps ensure that radiation sources emitting ionizing radiation do not pose radiation hazards for workers (and the public). Registration or licensing requirements apply to many specific radiation sources and occupational settings (e.g., medicine, manufacturing and construction). A radiation protection program is usually managed by a qualified expert (e.g., health physicist), who is often called a radiation safety officer (RSO).Īnother best practice is designating a radiation safety committee, which includes the RSO, a management representative, and workers who work with radiation-producing equipment, radiation sources, or radioactive materials (or who are otherwise at risk of exposure on the job).Ī radiation protection program should include, at a minimum:įederal and state regulatory agencies require some types of radiation-producing equipment or radiation sources to be registered or licensed by manufacturers and/or users. Personal Exposure Monitoring (Dosimetry)ĭeveloping and implementing a radiation protection program is a best practice for protecting workers from ionizing radiation.For example, these non-radiological safety and health hazards may include electrical hazards from associated electrical equipment and extension cords, shift work and long work hours, worker ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from shielded enclosures (e.g., at fixed industrial radiography facilities), and laser hazards if lasers are incorporated into radiation-emitting equipment (e.g., lasers are sometimes used to align an external beam with the target). This section does not address the range of non-radiological safety and health hazards for workers in occupational settings with ionizing radiation hazards. This section provides information on controlling ionizing radiation hazards and preventing dose.
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