Legislation Flashcards
What does IRR stand for?
Ionising
Radiation
Regulations
What does IRMER stand for?
Ionising
Radiations
Medical
Exposure
Regulations
What are the general principles for radiation safety?
(3)
Justification
Optimisation
Limitation
What are the duties of the employer under the Health and Safety At Work Act?
(2)
Provide a safe workplace
Provide training and information
What are the duties of the employees under the Health and Safety At Work Act?
(3)
Take care of themselves
Report any hazards or risks to their employer
Co operate with the employer on health and safety
What is the international stance on radiation?
(3)
Justification
Optimisation
Limitation
Why are patients exempt from following IRR?
Because they follow IRMER
What are the 3 stages of radiation exposure?
Notification
Registration
Consent
What are the features of the notification stage of radiation exposure?
It’s low risk, so notify the HSC
What are the features of the registration stage of radiation exposure?
(3)
Medium risk
It’s x-ray sources
It’s what most uses of radiation fall under
What are the features of the consent stage of radiation exposure?
(4)
High risk
It’s where the most things can go wrong
Nuclear medicine and radiotherapy
E.g. injecting radioactive material into people
When are radiation risk assessments done?
(2)
Before new work
Before significant changes to current procedures, e.g. new procedures or techniques
When are radiation risk assessments done?
(2)
Before new work
Before significant changes to current procedures, e.g. new procedures or techniques
What should radiation risk assessments include?
(7)
Identification of the hazards
Sources of contamination
Estimation of the doses involved
Engineering control features
Planned systems of work (how staff will be working in the area)
Accident situations
Methods of risk reduction
What are the steps of a risk assessment?
(5)
Identify the hazard
Decide who might be harmed and how
Evaluate the risk and decide the precautions
Record your findings and implement them
Review and update if necessary
When does an employer not have to write down their risk assessments?
If they have less than 4 employees
What is the hierarchy of control?
(5)
Elimination- don’t work with radiation if you don’t need to
Substitution- substitute x-rays to something else, e.g. MRI, ultrasound
Engineering controls- physical, mechanical things to reduce risk, e.g. lead screen. Put as many as needed for that specific procedure
Administrative controls- instructions and procedures that people are expected to follow but might forget
PPE- e.g. lead aprons
What are the 2 types of area designation?
Controlled area
Supervised area
What are controlled areas?
Areas where special procedures have to be followed, otherwise the dose is likely to exceed
What are supervised areas?
The dose received is likely to be more than 1mSv in a year, or the area is kept under review to make sure that it doesn’t become controlled
“Designated areas need to be … so people know”
Signed
When do the DO NOT ENTER and X-RAYS ON signs tend to be on?
When the x-rays are currently on and exposing
When do controlled area x-rays have radiation?
Always- so we have to be careful when entering the room
What are outside workers?
Any individual entering into a controlled area to work with radiation on behalf of another employer
What are examples of outside workers?
(3)
Prison workers
Carers
Guards
Why do we have personal dosimetry?
To ensure that dose limits aren’t exceeded. It protects the individual and the employer
Why do we need dose alerts and investigations?
To ensure that no one is exceeding a dose or constraint
Who initiates dose investigations?
RPS
What must pregnant staff working with radiation do?
(3)
Inform their employer in writing
There’s a dose limit of 1 mSv to the foetus
They may require a review of local risk assessment and adjustment of working practices
What must classified staff be?
(3)
Over 18
Fit to work before they’re classified, then annually after that
Monitored by an approved dosimetry service
What are the duties of employees working with radiation?
(7)
Not knowingly overexpose themselves or others
Report incidents
Make full use of PPE
Care for and return PPE
Wear and return PPE
Wear and return personal dosimeters
If they become pregnant, inform their employer(s) in writing
What are the duties of the employers?
(3)
Provide adequate resources
Co operate when working with ionising radiation
When necessary, transfer responsibility of a controlled area to another employer
What does RPA stand for?
Radiation
Protection
Adviser
What does the RPA do?
(4)
Provide advice on compliance with legislation
Do checks of engineering controls
Plan installations
Calibration of equipment
What do radiation protection supervisors do?
They make sure that local rules are adhered to and they govern the controlled area, e.g. that staff training is up to date
What do equipment installers do?
They perform a critical exam on the safety features of new equipment by checking all engineering controls
