14 December 2021
Following ADA NSW’s submission to the NSW Radiation Control Act review in September 2021, here is a summary of the changes to the regulation effective 26 November 2021.
New dose limits for young workers
- ARPANSA recently amended the Code for Radiation Protection in Planned Exposure Situations to reduce the radiation exposure limit for occupationally exposed people who are 16 – 18 years of age. The prohibition on any occupational exposure for employees under 16 remains in place.
- The Regulation also updates existing employer responsibilities to ensure young occupationally exposed persons are not exposed to radiation exceeding the dose limits and are only exposed in the course of training or education and under supervision.
- Schedule 5 of the Regulation sets out the dose limits for exposure to ionising radiation for occupationally exposed persons, and Clause 26 provides that an employer must ensure that those dose limits must not be exceeded.
- These changes to the Regulation may require employers who employ younger occupationally exposed persons to update radiation safety plans and notify staff.
Clarification of the term ‘employment’ in the Regulation
- A definition of ‘employment’ has been included in the Regulation to clarify that the term includes a person engaged under a contract for service, self-employment and carrying on a business in partnership.
