Radiation Protection Glossary

A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS), Radiation Protection Advisers (RPA) and anyone else interesting in radiation safety terms and definitions. The glossary is a mixture of health physics , phrases related to radiation protection legislation, transport, practical safety, technical terms and similar.

Search the Glossary by either clicking on a letter or typing a keyword into the search box. This glossary is relational so when looking at one term you can click through to other related terms as required.

For formal advice, see our Radiation Protection Adviser pages. 

Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17)

The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17) are a UK statutory law regarding work with ionising radiation. They apply to all UK employers (and the self-employed) and detail the requirements for protecting employees who work with ionising radiation, other person who may be affected and members of the public. Ionactive has produced an online guide to the regulations and can be found here: IRR17 Radiation Protection Guide by Ionactive.

External link to Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17) (2017 No. 1075 on the gov.uk website)

Atoms are very special: they like certain particular partners, certain particular directions, and so on. It is the job of physics to analyze why each one wants what it wants.

– Richard P. Feynman -