Radiation safety organisation and education

Radiation safety organisation

KTH’s radiation safety organisation consists of a Radiation Safety Expert and Safety Specialists from the Department of Security and Safety. The Department of Security and Safety serves as a link between the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM) and KTH. The role of the Radiation Safety Expert is to provide assistance in the form of advice and assessments on issues relating to radiation protection and radiation safety at all levels. Each school has a contact person for radiation protection and radiation safety. The school’s contact person must convey information between KTH and the relevant operations within each school and play a coordinating role regarding the school’s radiation protection/radiation safety. Out in operations, everyone who works in any way with ionising radiation is part of the local radiation safety organisation. For more information, read KTH:s Management System for Radiation Safety below.

Management System for Radiation Safety (in swedish) (pdf 534 kB)

Education

To be permitted to work alone with ionising radiation, employees must have undergone KTH's online course for radiation safety training and completed the included tests. The education is valid for a maximum of 5 years.

Register for the Radiation Safety Course

Operational changes

When new operations are being planned with ionising radiation or when existing operations are to be discontinued, KTH’s radiation safety expert must be involved. In connection with such changes, the administrative coordinator for radiation safety must be contacted at radiationsafety@kth.se . In connection with the purchase or disposal (e.g. scrapping) of sealed radiation sources or technical devices that emit ionising radiation, the change in the inventory must be reported to the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM). This is done through the administrative coordinator for radiation safety radiationsafety@kth.se .

Premises

Premises where operations with ionising radiation activities are carried out must be designed in such a way that exposure of employees to ionising radiation and the dispersal of radioactive substances can be limited and measured. For each such site, there must be documented procedures that must be applied to the work processes that involve radiation sources intended for exposure. For places where there is a risk of situations arising that may affect radiation safety, the procedures must also include information on how such situations can be avoided, what immediate measures must be taken and contact details of the radiation safety expert function.

Premises where more extensive operations are being carried out are classified as a protected or controlled area as follows:

Protected area. Premises where employees can receive annual radiation doses such that the effective dose exceeds 1 millisievert, the equivalent dose to the lens of the eye exceeds 15 millisieverts, the equivalent dose to extremities exceeds 50 millisieverts or the equivalent dose to the skin as an average over 1 square centimetre exceeds 50 millisieverts, regardless of size of the area exposed.

Controlled area. Premises where employees can receive annual radiation doses such that the effective dose exceeds 6 millisieverts or where significant radioactive contamination from a radiation safety perspective can be spread to surrounding premises or workplaces.

Controlled or protected areas must have signs indicating that this is a controlled or protected area. The signage must consist of a warning symbol for ionising radiation, indicating the types of radiation sources present in the area, where appropriate. A controlled area must be demarcated and may only be accessed by the person with sufficient radiation safety competence and assigned to perform tasks requiring access to a controlled area. There must be documented procedures for access to a controlled area. Visitors may only be allowed access to a controlled area in the company of an authorised person. Visitors must be 18 years of age or as a minimum attend school at upper secondary level.

Classification of premises is performed in consultation with KTH’s radiation safety expert.

Categorisation

Employees must be divided into category A or B. This categorisation must be documented and kept up-to-date with reference to changes in operations or in the conditions for exposure to ionising radiation. Categorisation is performed in consultation with KTH’s radiation safety expert. Categories A and B are defined as follows:

Category A. Employees who can receive annual radiation doses such that the effective dose exceeds 6 millisievert, the equivalent dose to the lens of the eye exceeds 15 millisieverts, the equivalent dose to extremities exceeds 150 millisieverts or the equivalent dose to the skin as an average over 1 square centimetre exceeds 150 millisieverts, regardless of size of the area exposed.

Category B. Employees who can receive annual radiation doses such that the effective dose exceeds 1 millisievert but not 6 millisieverts, the equivalent dose to extremities exceeds 50 millisieverts but not 150 millisieverts, or the equivalent dose to the skin as an average over 1 square centimetre exceeds 50 millisieverts but not 150 millisieverts, regardless of size of the area exposed.

For employees who belong to category A, the radiation dose must be determined by means of individual measurements or calculations. Confirmed radiation doses and their supporting data must be documented.

The permit holder and other employers whose employees work in an operation involving ionising radiation that requires a permit must make sure that every category A employee always has a valid health certificate based on a health assessment showing that the employee is suitable to work or suitable to work under certain conditions. The health assessment must be based on a medical examination.

For an employee belonging to category B, the effective dose and the equivalent doses must be monitored by measurements, calculations or assessments to the extent required to demonstrate that the category B classification is correct.

Waste plan

Every operation must draw up and provide a waste plan specifically for the activities they carry out. This plan must be drawn up in consultation with the radiation safety expert and must also be available in the central radiation safety management system.