The Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999

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 sub-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;

(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 two 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.