IRR99 Guidance - Part 3 - Arrangements for the Management of Radiation Protection

Employers must ensure that employees working with radiation are given suitable and sufficient training in the field of radiation protection. They must receive appropriate information and instruction for them to know:

• the key risks to health caused by exposure to ionising radiation
• the precautions which should be taken
• the control measures that are required
• the importance of the medical, technical and administrative requirements of the Regulations
• what to do (or not do) if things go wrong

Adequate information must be given to other persons who are concerned with work that involves ionising radiation. In addition, any other person who is (or could be) affected by work with ionising radiation, should receive suitable information. This point is often forgotten. For example the following persons might need some degree of training (or at the very least information):

• ‘Goods In’ personnel who may handle radioactive packages
• ‘Despatch’ personnel who may deal with the consignment of radioactive goods
• An electrical engineer who is required to work on interlocks of an x-ray facility
• A theatre nurse responsible for handling discarded instruments used in radio-diagnostic procedures
• A cleaner who enters supervised or controlled areas

In the above examples it is sometimes easy to forget that, as far as IRR99 is concerned, each could be ‘working with ionising’ radiation – even though their primary role is not specifically ‘radiation related’.

As required, key staff must know how, and where, to contact and consult the Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA) and Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS).

Female employees who work with radiation must be informed of the possible risk to the foetus and to a nursing infant (if the mother is working with unsealed sources of ionising radiation).  To mitigate these risks, the importance that the employee informs the employer in writing at the earliest opportunity, of either pregnancy or breast feeding must be emphasised.

The radiation employer is advised to consult their RPA when determining their training needs.