Ionising Radiations Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000

Part IVDesignated Areas

Designation of controlled or supervised areas

16.—(1) Every employer shall designate as a controlled area any area under his control which has been identified by an assessment made by him (whether pursuant to regulation 7 or otherwise) as an area in which—

(a) it is necessary for any person who enters or works in the area to follow special procedures designed to restrict significant exposure to ionising radiation in that area or prevent or limit the probability and magnitude of radiation accidents or their effects; or

(b) any person working in the area is likely to receive an effective dose greater that 6mSv a year or an equivalent dose greater than three-tenths of any relevant dose limit referred to in Schedule 4 in respect of an employee aged 18 years or above.

(2) An employer shall not intentionally create in any area conditions which would require that area to be designated as a controlled area unless that area is for the time being under the control of that employer.

(3) An employer shall designate as a supervised area any area under his control, not being an area designated as a controlled area—

(a) where it is necessary to keep the conditions of the area under review to determine whether the area should be designated as a controlled area; or

(b) in which any person is likely to receive an effective dose greater than 1mSv a year or an equivalent dose greater than one-tenth of any relevant dose limit referred to in Schedule 4 in respect of an employee aged 18 years or above.

Local rules and radiation protection supervisors

17.—(1) For the purposes of enabling work with ionising radiation to be carried on in accordance with the requirements of these Regulations, every radiation employer shall, in respect of any controlled area or, where appropriate having regard to the nature of the work carried out there, any supervised area, make and set down in writing such local rules as are appropriate to the radiation risk and the nature of the operations undertaken in that area.

(2) The radiation employer shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that any local rules made pursuant to paragraph (1) and which are relevant to the work being carried out are observed.

(3) The radiation employer shall ensure that such of those rules made pursuant to paragraph (1) as are relevant are brought to the attention of those employees and other persons who may be affected by them.

(4) The radiation employer shall—

(a) appoint one or more suitable radiation protection supervisors for the purpose of securing compliance with these Regulations in respect of work carried out in any area made subject to local rules pursuant to paragraph (1); and

(b) set down in the local rules the names of such individuals so appointed.

Additional requirements for designated areas

18.—(1) Every employer who designates any area as a controlled or supervised area shall ensure that any such designated area is adequately described in local rules and that—

(a) in the case of any controlled area—

(i) the area is physically demarcated or, where this is not reasonably practicable, delineated by some other suitable means; and

(ii) suitable and sufficient signs are displayed in suitable positions indicating that the area is a controlled area, the nature of the radiation sources in that area and the risks arising from such sources; and

(b) in the case of any supervised area, suitable and sufficient signs giving warning of the supervised area are displayed, where appropriate, in suitable positions indicating the nature of the radiation sources and the risks arising from such sources.

(2) The employer who has designated an area as a controlled area shall not permit any employee or other person to enter or remain in such an area unless that employee or other person—

(a) being a person other than an outside worker, is a classified person;

(b) being an outside worker, is a classified person in respect of whom the employer has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that the person—

(i) is subject to individual dose assessment pursuant to regulation 21;

(ii) has been provided with and has been trained to use any personal protective equipment that may be necessary pursuant to regulation 8(2)(c);

(iii) has received any specific training required pursuant to regulation 14; and

(iv) has been certified fit for the work with ionising radiation which he is to carry out pursuant to regulation 24; or

(c) not being a classified person, enters or remains in the area in accordance with suitable written arrangements for the purpose of ensuring that—

(i) in the case of an employee aged 18 years or over, he does not receive in any calendar year a cumulative dose of ionising radiation which would require that employee to be designated as a classified person; or

(ii) in the case of any other person, he does not receive in any calendar year a dose of ionising radiation exceeding any relevant dose limit.

(3) An employer who has designated an area as a controlled area shall not permit a person to enter or remain in such area in accordance with the written arrangements under paragraph (2)(c), unless he can demonstrate, by personal dose monitoring or other suitable measurements, that the doses are restricted in accordance with that paragraph.

(4) An employer who has designated an area as a controlled area shall, in relation to an outside worker, ensure that—

(a) the outside worker is subject to arrangements for estimating the dose of ionising radiation he receives whilst in the controlled area; and

(b) as soon as is reasonably practicable after the services carried out by that outside worker in that controlled area are completed, an estimate of the dose received by that worker is entered into his radiation passbook; and

(c) when the radiation passbook of the outside worker is in the possession of that employer, the passbook is made available to that worker upon request.

(5) The employer who carries out the monitoring or measurements pursuant to paragraph (3) shall keep the results of the monitoring or measurements referred to in that paragraph for a period of 2 years from the date they were recorded and shall, at the request of the person to whom the monitoring or measurements relate and on reasonable notice being given make the results available to that person.

(6) In any case where there is a significant risk of the spread of radioactive contamination from a controlled area, the employer who has designated that area as a controlled area shall make adequate arrangements to restrict, so far as is reasonably practicable, the spread of such contamination.

(7) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (6), the arrangements required by that paragraph shall, where appropriate, include—

(a) the provision of suitable and sufficient washing and changing facilities for persons who enter or leave any controlled or supervised area;

(b) the proper maintenance of such washing and changing facilities;

(c) the prohibition of eating, drinking or smoking or similar activity likely to result in the ingestion of a radioactive substance by any employee in a controlled area; and

(d) the means for monitoring for contamination any person, article or goods leaving a controlled area.

Monitoring of designated areas

19.—(1) Every employer who designates an area as a controlled or supervised area shall take such steps as are necessary (otherwise than by use of assessed doses of individuals), having regard to the nature and extent of the risks resulting from exposure to ionising radiation, to ensure that levels of ionising radiation are adequately monitored for each such area and that working conditions in those areas are kept under review.

(2) The employer upon whom a duty is imposed by paragraph (1) shall provide suitable and sufficient equipment for carrying out the monitoring required by that paragraph, which equipment shall—

(a) be properly maintained so that it remains fit for the purpose for which it was intended;

(b) be adequately tested and examined at appropriate intervals.

(3) Equipment provided pursuant to paragraph (2) shall not be or remain suitable unless—

(a) the performance of the equipment has been established by adequate tests before it has first been used; and

(b) the tests and examinations carried out pursuant to paragraph (2) and sub-paragraph (a) have been carried out by or under the supervision of a qualified person.

(4) The employer upon whom a duty is imposed by paragraph (1) shall—

(a) make suitable records of the results of the monitoring carried out in accordance with paragraph (1) and of the tests carried out in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3);

(b) ensure that the records of the tests carried out pursuant to sub-paragraph (a) are authorised by a qualified person; and

(c) keep the records referred to in sub-paragraph (a), or copies thereof, for at least 2 years from the respective dates on which they were made.