The Radioactive Substances (Hospitals) Exemption Order 1990

Article 3(1)

SCHEDULE 1 CONDITIONS MENTIONED IN ARTICLE 3(1)

Interpretation

1.  Radionuclides within patients as a result of medical diagnosis or treatment shall not be taken into account for the purposes of any of the provisions of this Schedule and radionuclides which are decay products of others present in the premises shall not be taken into account for the purposes of paragraph 2 below.

Conditions

2.  The sum total activity of radionuclides in radioactive material to which article 3(2) above applies kept or used on the premises at any one time shall not exceed—

(a) in the case of technetium 99m, one gigabecquerel;

(b) in the case of all other radionuclides, 100 megabecquerels of which not more than 20 megabecquerels shall comprise radionuclides which are radioisotopes of iodine.

3.  The loss or escape of any radioactive material to which article 3(2) above applies and unauthorised access to such material shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be prevented.

4.  Radioactive material to which article 3(2) above applies shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be kept under continuous surveillance or in a container which satisfies the requirements of paragraph 5 below and which is located in a store which also satisfies those requirements.

5.  The requirements mentioned in paragraph 4 above are that the container and the store—

(a) are constructed, maintained and used so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, the loss, escape or unauthorised removal of the radioactive material;

(b) are constructed of non-combustible materials;

(c) do not contain any explosive or flammable material and are not located near to such material; and

(d) are clearly marked with the word “Radioactive” and the radiation symbol conforming to the specification for a basic symbol to denote the actual or potential presence of ionizing radiation published by the British Standards Institution and numbered BS 3510:1968(1) or the basic ionizing radiation symbol published by the International Organisation for Standardization and numbered ISO 361:1975.

6.  Radioactive material to which article 3(2) above applies shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be kept and used in a part of the hospital premises which is constructed, maintained and used so that—

(a) the floor, ceiling, walls, windows, fixtures, fittings, furniture, drainage and ventilation systems of that part of the premises do not readily become contaminated; and

(b) any contamination which does occur can easily be removed.

7.  If there are reasonable grounds for believing that any radioactive material to which article 3(2) above applies has escaped from its container, store or the part of the premises where it is kept or used or that it has been lost or stolen—

(a) the incident shall be investigated without delay;

(b) the chief inspector shall be informed in writing within 7 days;

(c) if an escape is suspected, steps shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be taken to prevent any further escape and to minimise the spread of contamination;

(d) if loss or theft of radioactive material with an activity in excess of 200 kilobecquerels is suspected, the police shall be informed as quickly as possible and all such steps as are reasonably practicable shall be taken to recover the material.

8.  Clear, legible and up-to-date records shall be maintained on the premises and made available for inspection by an inspector and shall show in relation to each description of radioactive material to which article 3(2) above applies—

(a) the date on which it was received on the premises, the radionuclide contained therein and its activity on that date;

(b) so far as is reasonably practicable, its location on the premises;

(c) if it has been removed from the premises, the date on which it was removed, its activity on that date and the name and address of any person to whom it was transferred; and

(d) the total activity present on the premises at the end of each calendar month.

(1)

Standard Book Number (SBN) 580 00086 9.