Ariz. Admin. Code § 9-7-523

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 45, November 8, 2024

Section R9-7-523 - Personnel Monitoring

A. A licensee shall 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 direct reading dosimeter, an operating alarm rate meter, and a personnel dosimeter. 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 millisieverts (200 millirems) and ensure that each dosimeter is recharged at the start of each shift. Electronic personnel 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 all other personnel dosimeters that require replacement are replaced at at least quarterly; and

4. Ensure that all personnel dosimeters are evaluated at least quarterly or promptly after replacement, whichever is more frequent.

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

C. A licensee shall check pocket dosimeters and electronic personnel 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 per-formed. The licensee shall discontinue 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 is found to be off-scale, or the individual's electronic personnel dosimeter reads greater than 2 millisieverts (200 millirems), and the possibility of radiation exposure cannot be ruled out as the cause, a licensee shall ensure that:

1. If the individual's personnel dosimeter requires processing, the personnel dosimeter is sent for processing and evaluation within 24 hours after the suspected exposure;

2. If the individual's personnel dosimeter does not require processing, the evaluation of the personnel dosimeter is started within 24 hours after the suspected exposure;

3. The individual is not allowed to resume work associated with licensed material until the individual's radiation exposure has been determined by the licensee's RSO or the RSO's designee; and

4. The results of The determination in subsection (D)(2) is included 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 replacement personnel dosimeter that meets the requirements in subsection (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 maintain a record of the calculated exposure and the time period for which the personnel dosimeter was lost or damaged in accordance with subsection (B).

F. The licensee shall maintain dosimetry reports 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).

Ariz. Admin. Code § R9-7-523

New Section R9-7-523 recodified from R12-1-523at 24 A.A.R. 813, effective March 22, 2018 (Supp. 18-1). Amended by final expedited rulemaking at 28 A.A.R. 3533, effective 11/2/2022.