Radiation Safety Officer
Encyclopedia
In the United States
, the person within an organization responsible for the safe use of radiation
and radioactive materials as well as regulatory compliance. An organization licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
to use radioactive materials must designate a Radiation Safety Officer in writing.
The Radiation Safety Officer (hereafter referred to as the RSO) is also responsible for assisting the Radiation Safety Committee in the performance of its duties and serving as its secretary.
Educational Responsibility
Establishment of investigational levels in order to monitor individual occupational external radiation exposures
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the person within an organization responsible for the safe use of radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
and radioactive materials as well as regulatory compliance. An organization licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
to use radioactive materials must designate a Radiation Safety Officer in writing.
Responsibility
The Radiation Safety Officer is responsible for recommending or approving corrective actions, identifying radiation safety problems, initiating action, and ensuring compliance with regulations.The Radiation Safety Officer (hereafter referred to as the RSO) is also responsible for assisting the Radiation Safety Committee in the performance of its duties and serving as its secretary.
Duties
- Annual review of the radiation safety program for adherence to ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) concepts.
- Quarterly review of occupational exposures. The RSO will review at least quarterly external radiation exposures of authorized users and workers to determine that their exposures are ALARA.
- Quarterly review of records of radiation level surveys. The RSO will review radiation levels in unrestricted and restricted areas to determine that they were at ALARA levels during the previous quarter.
Educational Responsibility
- The RSO will schedule briefings and educational sessions to inform workers of ALARA programs.
- The RSO will ensure that authorized users, workers, and ancillary personnel who may be exposed to radiation will be instructed in the ALARA philosophy and informed that the management, the Radiation Safety Committee, and the RSO are committed to implementing the ALARA concept.
Establishment of investigational levels in order to monitor individual occupational external radiation exposures
- An institution must establish Investigational Levels for occupational external radiation exposure which, when exceeded, will initiate review or an investigation into the over exposure of the worker or authorized user.