Optimization Of Radiation Protection In The Control Of Occupational Exposure

Provides practical information on the application of the principle of the optimization of radiation protection in the workplace. The report emphasizes the importance of integrating radiation protection into the work management system and of the involvement of management and workers in setting up and implementing a radiation protection system.

The present Safety Guide provides general guidance on the establishment of an effective radiation protection programme for occupational exposure, appropriate for the sources of radiation likely to be encountered in a range of industries, medical institutions, educational and research establishments and nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The report further provides the necessary guidance to meet the requirements as laid down in Safety Series No. 115, International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources (1996).

Provides practical guidance on the application of the dose limitation system contained in the Basic Safety Standards for Radiation Protection, Safety Series No. 9, to operational situations both in large nuclear installations and in much smaller facilities, with special reference to the principles of optimisation.

The International Conference on Occupational Radiation Protection, held in August 2002, was the first international conference covering the whole area of occupational radiation protection. A number of specific recommendations emerged from the Conference.

This Safety Guide, co-sponsored by the ILO, addresses the assessment of exposure to external sources of radiation in the workplace and the monitoring of workers and the workplace in such situations. It also reflects the major changes over the past decade in international practice in external dose assessment. It further provides the necessary guidance to meet the requirements as laid down in Safety Series No. 115, International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources.

The aim of radiation protection standards is to make the radiation workplace as safe as is humanly possible. The gradual evolution over the last 20 years has been towards a more precise definition of the limits for occupational exposure. These have been created not only in terms of short-term effects but also more importantly in terms of long-term risks involving such problems as the potential for carcinogenesis and genetic change. In the United States the National Committee for Radiation Protection has recom mended that 5 rems (50 mSv) should remain as the maximum permissible dose equiva lent for total body exposure. This would represent the sum of internal and external ex posure and should be regarded as the upper limit allowed. The community of radiation users is required to conduct its operations in such a man ner that the absolute value of the individual's dose equivalent in rems does not exceed his age in years. There should be additional limits for tissues and organs based on short term effects. Therefore, individual organs are limited to dose equivalents low enough to ensure that the dose threshold values are not exceeded.