Section 1350. Personnel monitoring

A. The licensee or registrant may not permit any individual to act as a radiographer or a radiographer's assistant unless, at all times during radiographic operations, each individual wears, on the trunk of the body, a combination of direct reading dosimeter, an alarming ratemeter, and either a film badge, an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeter or a thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD). At permanent radiographic installations where other appropriate alarming or warning devices are in routine use, or during radiographic operations using radiation machines, the use of an alarming ratemeter is not required.

1. Pocket dosimeters must have a range from 0 to 2 mSv (200 mrem) and must be recharged at the start of each shift. Electronic personal dosimeters may only be used in place of ion-chamber pocket dosimeters.

2. Each film badge, OSL or TLD must be assigned to and worn by only one individual.

3. Film badges must be exchanged monthly. OSLs or TLDs must be exchanged at periods not to exceed three months.

4. After replacement, each film badge, OSL or TLD must be returned to the supplier for processing within 14 calendar days of the end of the monitoring period, or as soon as practicable. In circumstances that make it impossible to return each film badge, OSL or TLD in 14 calendar days, such circumstances must be documented and available for review by the agency.

B. Direct reading dosimeters, such as pocket dosimeters or electronic personal dosimeters, must be read and the exposures recorded at the beginning and end of each shift, and records must be maintained in accordance with 12VAC5-481-1490.

C. Pocket dosimeters, or electronic personal dosimeters, must be checked at periods not to exceed 12 months for correct response to radiation, and records must be maintained in accordance with 12VAC5-481-1490. Acceptable dosimeters must read within plus or minus 20% of the true radiation exposure.

D. If an individual's pocket dosimeter is found to be off-scale, or the electronic personal dosimeter reads greater than 2 mSv (200 mrem), the individual's film badge, OSL or TLD must be sent for processing within 24 hours. In addition, the individual may not resume work associated with the use of sources of radiation until a determination of the individual's radiation exposure has been made. This determination must be made by the radiation safety officer or the radiation safety officer's designee. The results of this determination must be included in the records maintained in accordance with 12VAC5-481-1490.

E. If a film badge, OSL or TLD is lost or damaged, the worker shall cease work immediately until a replacement film badge, OSL or TLD is provided and the exposure is calculated for the time period from issuance to loss or damage of the film badge, OSL or TLD. The results of the calculated exposure and the time period for which the film badge, OSL or TLD was lost or damaged must be included in the records maintained in accordance with 12VAC5-481-1490.

F. Reports received from the film badge, OSL or TLD processor must be retained in accordance with 12VAC5-481-1490.

G. Each alarming ratemeter must:

1. Be checked to ensure that the alarm functions properly before using at the start of each shift;

2. Be set to give an alarm signal at a preset dose rate of 5 mSv (500 mrem) per hour with an accuracy of plus or minus 20% of the true radiation dose rate;

3. Require special means to change the preset alarm function; and

4. Be calibrated at periods not to exceed 12 months for correct response to radiation. The licensee shall maintain records of alarming ratemeter calibrations in accordance with 12VAC5-481-1490.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 22, Issue 25, eff. September 20, 2006; amended, Virginia Register Volume 24, Issue 18, eff. June 12, 2008.

Statutory Authority

§ 32.1-229 of the Code of Virginia.