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. 

Local Rules

Published: Oct 12, 2018

Local Rules are a requirement of the UK Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17) , particularly where you one or more designated areas (Controlled Area or Supervised Areas). Local Rules are the written instructions in order to comply with IRR17 and work safely with ionising radiation. They are closely related to the Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS) who is a person appointed under IRR17 to ensure the Local Rules are implemented. They will detail RPS contact details, a description of the designated area, the dose investigation level, details of dosimetry or monitoring requirements and other written arrangements to restrict exposure (i.e. ALARP).

If you start from nothing, it is very difficult to get anywhere

– Gerhard Herzberg -