rad radiationriskassessment

Risk Assessment for Radiation Sources Page 1 of 3 Occupational Health & Safety Division 17 November 2012, v1 GUIDELINE Risk Assessment for Radiation Sources 1. Introduction The hazardous nature of ionising radiation is well known and a system of regulation has been established aimed at minimising those hazards while taking advantage of the useful properties of radiation. The legislation requires that people should be protected from unnecessary exposure through the enforcement of dose limits for exposure of workers and the public and the application of standards for equipment and premises in which radiation sources are used. While most of the practices involving radiation sources used at the university have established engineering and procedural controls from which the user should not depart, there are some research practices in which users must look more closely at the hazards and decide on the appropriate control measures. Such an assessment process will require review by a school or centre Radiation Safety O fficer (RSO) and the University Radiation Protection Adviser (URPA). 2. Who needs to carry out a risk assessment? Persons in the following radiation practice categories are required to carry out an individual risk assessment: Users of unsealed sources in biomolecular research. Users of analytical X-ray equipment that is not fully enclosed. Persons wanting to use radioactive sources or X-ray machines for research projects other than those described above. Examples of the latter could include setting up and using fixed industrial radiation gauges in research; developing new X-ray analysis or imaging techniques; using a mobile X-ray unit for nonmedical imaging applications; using unsealed sources for environmental or industrial field tracer studies. In what form should the risk assessment be recorded? Specific forms have been produced by the University Radiation Protection Adviser for this purpose. They are available at the Occupational Health and Safety Unit web site. At the University of Queensland, persons who fall into the following categories are not required to undertake individual risk assessments for the radiation-related aspects of their work: Persons who are licenced to carry out dental diagnostic radiography in accordance with an approved Radiation Safety and Protection Plan Persons who are licenced to carry out veterinary radiography in accordanc e with an approved Radiation Safety and Protection Plan Persons who are licenced to use soil moisture and density gauges in accordance with an approved Radiation Safety and Protection Plan

rad radiationriskassessment

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