Radiation



The Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 require employers to:



• undertake a suitable and sufficient risk assessment before starting any new type of work with ionising radiation;



• restrict exposure to ionising radiation, firstly through means such as the use of adequate shielding, safety devices, containment and ventilation, where these are reasonably practicable, then by the provision of systems of work and personal protective equipment;



• maintain and examine engineering controls and personal protective equipment;



• consider the risks to pregnant and breast-feeding employees and alter working conditions where appropriate;



• consult (and appoint) one or more radiation protection advisers;



• designate controlled and supervised areas where necessary;



• implement dose limits; and



• make arrangements for designating certain employees as classified persons, arranging for the assessment and recording of doses they receive, and medical surveillance.



These regulations limit the dose of radiation to the whole body (the effective dose) to which workers aged 18 and over can be exposed to 20 millisieverts (mSv) in a calendar year. However, in special cases, a dose limit of 100mSv in five years may apply, with no more than 50mSv in a single year, subject to strict conditions. For trainees, the limit is 6mSv in a calendar year, and for any other person, including members of the public, the limit is 1mSv a year.



The government has to implement the Basic Safety Standards Directive (2013/59/Euratom) (BSSD) into UK law by the 6 February 2018. The directive incorporates the latest recommendations from the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), published in 2007, and harmonises the EU regime with the Basic Safety Standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).


In February 2017, the HSE launched a consultation on repealing and replacing the Ionising Radiation Regulations to implement its requirements. The main changes are:


Dose limit for exposure to the lens of the eye – the directive introduces a reduction of “equivalent dose” from the 150 mSv specified in the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 to 20 mSv in a year. (The “equivalent dose” is a measure of the biological effect of radiation due to the type of radiation, the absorbed dose and the organs or tissue that have been exposed.) Currently exposure to ionising radiation is calculated and assessed on a calendar year basis. As this would require individual dose limits to be re-calculated for the remainder of the year, the HSE proposes transposing the BSSD early, on 1 January 2018, to avoid confusion and additional costs;


• the introduction of a new three-tiered, risk-based system of regulatory control involving notification, registration and licensing – the higher the radiation protection risk associated with the work, the greater the requirements. It requires the HSE to have in place a positive system of authorisation whereby permission is granted to dutyholders for higher-risk activities through registration and licensing.


Other new key requirements are explained in the consultative document which is available on the HSE website (www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd282.htm).