IRR17 (6) – Registration of certain practices

A registration is required where:

  • Work undertaken by the employer exceeds the thresholds specified for notification (see IRR17 Regulation 5), or
  • Work undertaken by the employer cannot be exempted under Schedule 1 of IRR17, or
  • Work undertaken by the employer is NOT a specified practice (see IRR17 Regulation 7)

This will cover the following types of typical work with ionising radiation (list not exhaustive)

  • Most uses of radioactive sealed sources for process control, calibration, density measurement and similar (excluding HASS sources)
  • Most uses of unsealed radioactive sources in laboratory research, quality assurance (excluding medical products containing radioactive material)
  • Most uses of typical x-ray equipment operating >30kV (will include security x-ray, diagnostic x-ray in medicine, x-ray enclosure screening)

What will NOT be covered under a registration is a specified practice. A specified practice comes under IRR17 Regulation 7 and would include, for example, high activity sealed source (HASS), and industrial radiography (unless conducted in an enclosure where there is no person access). Also, any work on a nuclear licensed site would not be covered.

Ionactive clients receiving Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA) advice are split 60:40 registration-consent.

Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe

– Albert Einstein -