Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2001

Emergency exposures

14.—(1) Where an emergency plan prepared pursuant to these Regulations provides for the possibility of any employee receiving an emergency exposure, each employer shall in relation to his employees—

(a) identify those employees who may be subject to emergency exposures;

(b) provide such employees with appropriate training in the field of radiation protection and such information and instruction as is suitable and sufficient for them to know the risks to health created by exposure to ionising radiation and the precautions which should be taken;

(c) provide such equipment as is necessary to restrict the exposure of such employees to radiation;

(d) make arrangements for medical surveillance by an appointed doctor or employment medical adviser to be carried out without delay in the event of a radiation emergency in respect of those employees who receive emergency exposures;

(e) make arrangements with an approved dosimetry service for—

(i) dose assessments to be carried out without delay in the event of a radiation emergency in respect of those employees who receive emergency exposures, and a dose assessment made for the purpose of this sub-paragraph shall, where practicable, be made separately from any other dose assessment relating to those employees; and

(ii) the results of the dose assessments carried out under sub-paragraph (i) to be notified without delay to the employer and to the Executive;

(f) make arrangements, in respect of dose assessments to be carried out and notified pursuant to sub-paragraph (e), to notify the results of such assessments without delay to the appointed doctor or employment medical adviser who is carrying out the medical surveillance on the employee to whom the assessment relates;

(g) identify those employees who shall be authorised, in the event of a radiation emergency, to permit any employee referred to in sub-paragraph (a) to be subject to an emergency exposure and provide employees who are so authorised with appropriate training.

(2) An operator shall, at least 28 days before he for the first time commences work with ionising radiation, and a carrier shall, at least 28 days before he for the first time undertakes transport of any radioactive substance, or in either case within such shorter time in advance as the Executive may agree, notify to the Executive the dose levels which he has determined are appropriate to be applied in respect of an employee identified for the purposes of paragraph (1)(a) in the event of such emergency.

(3) Where an operator or carrier determines that a dose level notified under paragraph (2) is no longer appropriate to be applied in respect of an employee identified for the purposes of paragraph (1)(a) in the event of such emergency, and that a revised level should be determined, the operator or carrier, as the case may be, shall, at least 28 days before formally determining the revised dose level, or within such shorter time in advance as the Executive may agree, notify to the Executive the revised dose level which he considers is appropriate to be applied.

(4) In any case where in the opinion of the Executive the dose levels for emergency exposure notified pursuant to paragraph (2) or (3) are too high, the operator or carrier shall, if so directed by the Executive, substitute such other dose level or levels as the Executive may consider appropriate.

(5) Where an emergency plan is put into effect pursuant to the provisions of regulation 13, each employer shall ensure—

(a) that no employee of his under 18 years of age, no trainee under 18 years of age and no female employee who is pregnant or breastfeeding is subject to an emergency exposure;

(b) that no other employee of his is subject to an emergency exposure unless—

(i) that employee has agreed to undergo such exposure;

(ii) the requirements of paragraph (1)(a) to (f) have been complied with in respect of that employee; and

(iii) that employee has been permitted to be so by an employee authorised for that purpose under paragraph (1)(g); and

(c) that no employee of his involved in implementing an emergency plan is exposed to a dose of radiation in excess of the dose level determined in accordance with paragraphs (2), (3) or (4).

(6) The requirement imposed on the employer by paragraph (5)(a) shall not apply in respect of a female employee who is pregnant or breastfeeding until such time as the employee has notified the employer in writing of that fact or the employer should reasonably have been aware of that fact.

(7) The requirement imposed by paragraph (5)(c) shall not apply in respect of an exposure of any employee who—

(a) being informed about the risks involved in the intervention, agrees to undergo an exposure greater than any dose level referred to in that sub-paragraph for the purpose of saving human life; and

(b) is permitted to undergo such exposure by an employee authorised by the employer in accordance with paragraph (1)(g) to give such permission.

(8) Where an employee has undergone an emergency exposure, the employer shall ensure that the dose of ionising radiation received by that employee is assessed by an approved dosimetry service and that the dose assessed is recorded separately in the dose record of that employee or, where no dose record exists, in a record created for the purpose of this paragraph complying with the requirements to which it would be subject if it were a dose record.

(9) An employer shall at the request of an employee of his in respect of whom a record has been created for the purposes of paragraph (8), and on reasonable notice being given, obtain from the approved dosimetry service and make available to the employee a copy of the record of dose relating to that employee.

(10) In the event of a report made pursuant to regulation 13(3) relating to the circumstances of an emergency exposure and the action taken as a result of that exposure, an employer shall keep such report (or a copy thereof) until the person to whom the report relates has or would have attained the age of 75 years but in any event for at least 50 years from the termination of the work which involved any emergency exposure.