Section R12-1-604. General Procedures

A.      Each registrant shall ensure the following procedural require- ments are met in the operation of x-ray equipment:

1.        An x-ray machine which does not meet the provisions of this Chapter shall not be operated for diagnostic or thera- peutic purposes, unless specifically exempted by the Agency.

2.        Except for patients who cannot be moved out  of the room, only the individuals required for the radiological procedure or in training may be  present in the room during radiographic exposure, and all the following requirements apply:

a.         All individuals shall be positioned such that no part of the body, including the extremities not protected by 0.5 mm lead equivalent, will be struck by the use- ful beam.

b.        Staff and ancillary personnel shall be protected from the direct scatter radiation by protective aprons or whole body protective barriers of not less than 0.25 mm lead equivalent.

c.         Individuals, other than the patient to be examined, who cannot be removed from the room during mobile or portable radiography shall be protected from the direct scatter radiation by whole body pro- tective barriers of 0.25 millimeters lead equivalent or shall be so positioned that the nearest portion of the body is at least 2 meters (6.5 feet) from both the tube head and the nearest edge of the image receptor.

d.        If a portion of the body of any staff or ancillary per- sonnel is potentially subjected to stray radiation that could result in that individual receiving 10 percent of the maximum permissible dose as defined in Arti- cle 4 of this Chapter, the registrant shall provide additional protective devices as specified by the Agency.

3.        An individual shall not be exposed to the useful beam except for a healing arts purpose authorized by a licensed practitioner of the healing arts. The following acts are prohibited:

a.         Exposure of an individual without meeting the required healing art requirements and without a valid directive from a licensed practitioner;

b.        Exposure of an individual for training, demonstra- tion, or other non-healing arts purpose;

c.         Exposure of an individual for the purpose of healing arts screening, except as authorized by the Agency after submitting to the Agency the information listed in Appendix A of this Article. (If any information submitted to the Agency changes, the registrant shall immediately notify the Agency of the changes.);

d.        Routinely holding film or a patient during an expo- sure to x-ray radiation; or

e.         Exposure of an individual to fluoroscopy as a posi- tioning method for general purpose radiological pro- cedures.

4.        All persons who are associated with the operation of an x- ray system are subject to the occupational exposure limits specified in Article 4. Exposure of a personnel monitor- ing device to deceptively indicate a dose delivered to an individual is prohibited.

5.        The registrant shall check radiation protective equipment for reliability and integrity defects on an annual basis, as follows:

a.         Aprons, gloves, and shields shall be checked for holes, tears, and breaks.

b.        If defects are found in the equipment, the registrant shall replace or remove it from service. Equipment removed from service shall not be put back into ser- vice until it is repaired.

c.         A record of the annual reliability and integrity check and any equipment replacement shall be maintained for three years.

B.       The registrant shall maintain the following records for each x- ray machine:

1.        Survey, calibration, maintenance, and modification records regarding the x-ray machine or room, which include the name of the person who performed the ser- vice; and

2.        Correspondence with the Agency regarding the x-ray machine facility.

Historical Note

Adopted effective June 30, 1977 (Supp. 77-3). Amended

effective August 8, 1986 (Supp. 86-4). Amended effec-

tive January 2, 1996 (Supp. 96-1). Amended by final

rulemaking at 9 A.A.R. 4302, effective November 14,

2003 (Supp. 03-3). Amended by final rulemaking at 15

A.A.R. 1023, effective August 1, 2009 (Supp. 09-2).