Section R12-1-523. Personnel Monitoring

A.      A licensee shall not permit any individual to act as a radiogra- pher or a radiographer’s assistant unless, at all times during radiographic operations, each individual wears, on the trunk of the body, a direct reading dosimeter, an operating alarm rate meter, and a personnel dosimeter that is processed and evalu- ated by an accredited National Voluntary Laboratory Accredi- tation Program (NVLAP) processor. At permanent radiography installations where other appropriate alarming or warning devices are in routine use, the wearing of an alarm rate meter is not required. A licensee shall:

1.        Use a pocket dosimeter with a range from zero to 2 mil- lisieverts (200 millirems). The licensee shall ensure that each dosimeter is recharged at the start of each shift. Electronic personal dosimeters are permitted in place of ion-chamber pocket dosimeters.

2.        Assign a personnel dosimeter to each individual, who shall wear the assigned equipment.

3.        Replace film badges at least monthly and ensure that other personnel dosimeters are processed and evaluated

by an accredited NVLAP processor and replaced at peri- ods that do not exceed three months.

4.        After replacement, ensure that each personnel dosimeter is processed as soon as possible.

B.       A licensee shall record exposures noted from direct reading dosimeters, such as pocket dosimeters or electronic personal dosimeters, at the beginning and end of each shift. The licensee shall maintain the records for three years after the Agency terminates the license.

C.      A licensee shall check pocket dosimeters and electronic per- sonal dosimeters for correct response to radiation at periods that do not exceed 12 months. The licensee shall record the results of each check and maintain the records for three years after the dosimeter check is performed. The licensee shall dis- continue use of a dosimeter if it is not accurate within plus or minus 20 percent of the true radiation exposure.

D.      If an individual’s pocket dosimeter has an off-scale reading, or the individual’s electronic personal dosimeter reads greater than 2 millisieverts (200 millirems), and radiation exposure cannot be ruled out as the cause, a licensee shall process the individual’s dosimeter within 24 hours of the suspect expo- sure. The licensee shall not allow the individual to resume work associated with sources of radiation until the individual’s radiation exposure has been determined. Using information from the dosimeter, the licensee’s RSO or the RSO’s designee shall calculate the affected individual’s cumulative radiation exposure as prescribed in Article 4 of this Chapter and include the results of this determination in the personnel monitoring records maintained in accordance with subsection (B).

E.       If the personnel dosimeter that is required by subsection (A) is lost or damaged, the licensee shall ensure that the worker ceases work immediately until the licensee provides a replace- ment personnel dosimeter that meets the requirements in sub- section (A) and the RSO or the RSO’s designee calculates the exposure for the time period from issuance to discovery of the lost or damaged personnel dosimeter. The licensee shall main- tain a record of the calculated exposure and the time period for which the personnel dosimeter was lost or damaged in accor- dance with subsection (B).

F.       The licensee shall maintain dosimetry reports received from the accredited NVLAP personnel dosimeter processor in accordance with subsection (B).

G.      For each alarm rate meter a licensee shall ensure that:

1.        At the start of each shift, the alarm functions (sounds) properly before an individual uses the device;

2.        Each device is set to give an alarm signal at a preset dose rate of 5 mSv/hr (500 mrem/hr); with an accuracy of plus or minus 20 percent of the true radiation dose rate;

3.        A special means is necessary to change the preset alarm function on the device; and

4.        Each device is calibrated at periods that do not exceed 12 months for correct response to radiation. The licensee shall maintain records of alarm rate meter calibrations in accordance with subsection (B).

Historical Note

Adopted effective April 2, 1990 (Supp. 90-2). Amended

effective August 10, 1994 (Supp. 94-3). Amended by

final rulemaking at 7 A.A.R. 2584, effective June 8, 2001 (Supp. 01-2). Amended by final rulemaking at 10 A.A.R. 2122, effective July 3, 2004 (Supp. 04-2). Amended by final rulemaking at 10 A.A.R. 4458, effective December 4, 2004 (Supp. 04-4).