1. Prime Responsibility for Radiation Safety

2. Responsibility for Safety
Objectives
To understand the role of the legal person to provide adequate safety and how specific aspects of the responsibility are delegated within authorized practices

3. Responsibility for Safety
Responsibilities of
Legal person holding a license or registration
Radiation Protection Officer
Workers
Suppliers
Qualified experts
Medical practitioners
Ethical review committees

4. Responsibility for Safety
Prime responsibility
Legal person holding a license or registration
Employers of occupationally exposed workers

5. Responsibility for Safety
Subsidiary responsibility
The licensee may appoint other parties or people to carry out actions and tasks,
Overall responsibility for protection and safety remains always at the licensee

6. Responsibility for Safety
Subsidiary responsibility
Radiation Protection Officer
Workers
Suppliers
Medical practitioners
Qualified experts
Ethical review committees

7. Responsibilities of a licensee
Licensees and employers shall
establish radiation safety objectives
develop, implement and document a radiation safety programme
ensure compliance with requirements set out in legislation and regulations

8. Responsibilities of a licensee
Radiation Safety Programme (1/2)
continuous review of measures needed to achieve radiation safety objectives
sufficient allocation of resources for implementing necessary measures
regular verification that the radiation safety objectives are achieved

9. Responsibilities of a licensee
Radiation Safety Programme (2/2)
identification, prevention and prompt corrective actions of any failures or shortcomings in the radiation safety measures
consultation and co-operation between all relevant parties with respect to radiation safety
appropriate records regarding the discharge of responsibilities

10. Responsibilities of a licensee
To ensure compliance with requirements
Notification, application of authorization
Radiation protection performance requirements
Verification of protection and safety
Occupational, public and medical exposure protection
Management requirements
Safety of sources

11. Radiation Protection Officer (RPO)
General
Shall have undergone radiation protection training; qualification criteria set by the Regulatory Authority
Appointed by the licensee
Approved by the Regulatory Authority
Shall have sufficient powers allocated with the licensees organization for taking care of allocated responsibilities and duties

12. Radiation Protection Officer (RPO)
Typical duties
monitoring of radiation protection and safety
issuing instructions and ensuring that workers are trained to work safely
ensuring that adequate protective equipment, clothing and radiation meters are available and used appropriately
ensuring that the license and safety arrangements are up-dated, as necessary
providing required information and notifications to the Regulatory Authority

13. Workers Responsibilities
to follow applicable rules and procedures for protection and safety
to use properly the monitoring devices, protective equipment and clothing provided
co-operate with the employer with respect to protection and safety and the operation of radiological health surveillance and dose assessment programmes

14. Workers Responsibilities
to accept information, instruction and training concerning protection and safety
to report to the employer or the licensee of observations of circumstances that could adversely affect compliance with regulations

15. Suppliers Responsibilities
to ensure that sources are transferred only to receivers holding a license
to ensure that sources are accompanied with
relevant certificates
user, maintenance and transport instructions
radiation protection and safety instructions
to hold records of transfers

16. Qualified experts Responsibilities
to advise the licensee or employer on the observance of regulations
may be assigned technical responsibility for tasks related to radiation protection of workers and the public

17. Medical practitioners
Responsibilities / Medical exposures
justification of medical exposures
medical exposures shall be prescribed by a medical practitioner
optimization of protection, e.g. use of guidance levels
medical practitioners ensure overall patient protection related to medical exposures

18. Medical practitioners
Responsibilities / Health surveillance of workers
to ensure initial and continuous fitness of workers for their intended tasks
to assess consequences of possible over exposure and to deliver opinion on the continuity of work
medical treatment of persons received high exposures

19. Ethical review committees
Responsibilities
to assess justification of and to define dose constraints for medical research purposes not producing direct benefit to exposed individuals
to assess justification of screening (e.g. mammography)
to assess justification of examinations undertaken for occupational, legal or health insurance purposes

20. References
IAEA-TECDOC-1067