New Registration Process Regarding Consent for Users of Ionising Radiation
What Do Schools Have to Do?
Following recommendations by the IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service in 2019, the consent process for users of Ionising Radiation is changing. Currently, the UK does not have a central 'register of sources' with respect to any particular employer or organisation that works with ionising radiation. Although the process differs for organisations in the medical and dental sectors, all other users should follow the guidelines outlined in this article.
From 1 October 2023, employers will need to submit additional information when registering or seeking consent for work with ionising radiation:
- If applying to register work under regulation 6 of IRR17, you will need to submit information about the extent and purpose of your work.
- If applying for consent for work under regulation 7 of IRR17, you will need to submit a Safety Assessment. A Specialist Radiation Inspector will review the Safety Assessment and we will inspect the work practice before consent is granted.
This will normally take up to three months and you will be charged a fee to recover the HSE's costs.
What Information Will Be Collected?
For employers outside the medical or dental fields, these details need to be gathered:
- The overall count of radiation generators within the company (likely categorised by numerical bands).
- The total count of locations where these generators are utilised (it's yet to be determined if this will involve postcode data for precise locations).
- An inquiry about whether the employer employs mobile radiation generators (Answer with Y or N).
- An explanation of the primary purpose(s) for deploying the radiation generators. This could include applications such as aviation security, cargo and freight screening, food quality control, usage of XRF including portable handheld devices, XRD, non-medical CT scanning, detection of apparent defects (within enclosed cabinets to avoid categorisation as industrial radiography), and more.
- A statement for initiating a new registration, or an updated statement for an existing registration with the inclusion of the newly gathered information.
Registration
If applying to register work under regulation 6 of IRR17, you will need to submit information about the extent and purpose of your work.
Consent
If applying for consent for work under regulation 7 of IRR17, you will need to submit a Safety Assessment. A Specialist Radiation Inspector will review the Safety Assessment and we will inspect the work practice before consent is granted.
This will normally take up to 3 months and you will be charged a fee to recover HSE's costs.
Updates
The HSE will update their website to include further guidance on the changes in due course.
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For further information please email: radiation@hse.gov.uk.
You can find out more about regulations 6 and 7 of IRR17 in publication L121, 'Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017: Approved Code of Practice'.