N.J. Admin. Code § 7:28-20.4

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 7:28-20.4 - General requirements for a particle accelerator facility

(a) Particle accelerators not capable of operating at more than 30 kVp shall be exempt from the requirements of (b) through (f) below and 7:28-20.5 through 20.12 provided that the initial or repeat radiation protection survey does not yield radiation levels greater than 0.5 millirem per hour using maximum operating conditions of operation as measured five centimeters from any accessible surface.

(b) A registrant shall not permit a particle accelerator to be operated unless the person operating the particle accelerator has met the requirements of 7:28-20.6(a).

(c) A registrant shall not use a particle accelerator or cause it to be used unless the equipment, facilities, operating procedures and emergency procedures are adequate to minimize danger to property and to public health and safety.

(d) The registrant of a particle accelerator facility shall appoint a Particle Accelerator Safety Officer (PASO) who is authorized to act on behalf of the registrant to implement and maintain a radiation safety program for the particle accelerator facility. The PASO may be either a full-time employee of the registrant or a consultant hired by the registrant. The registrant shall hold the final responsibility for the safe operation of the facility in accordance with all pertinent provisions of this chapter.

(e) A particle accelerator safety officer shall meet at least one of the following five criteria:

1. Certification in health physics by the American Board of Health Physics or certification in therapy physics and/or radiological physics by the American Board of Radiology;

2. A bachelor's degree from an accredited college in biology, chemistry, radiation sciences, physics, engineering or mathematics and six years of professional technical experience in the field of radiological health or in a radiation protection activity. At least one year of the required health physics experience shall have been with a particle accelerator of a type similar to that with which the PASO will be working;

3. A master's degree in radiological health, radiation sciences, physics, chemistry, environmental sciences, engineering or a related field and at least five years of professional technical experience in the field of radiological health or in a radiation protection activity. At least one year of the required health physics experience shall have been with a particle accelerator of a type similar to that with which the PASO will be working;

4. A doctorate degree in radiological health, radiation sciences, physics, chemistry, environmental sciences, engineering or a related field plus four years of professional technical experience in the field of radiological health or in a radiation protection activity. At least one year of the required health physics experience shall have been with a particle accelerator of a type similar to that with which the PASO will be working; or

5. Ten years of professional technical experience in the field of radiological health or in a radiation protection activity. At least five years of the required health physics experience shall have been with a particle accelerator of a type similar to that with which the PASO will be working.

(f) A particle accelerator safety officer in a facility where the particle accelerators are only electron microscopes shall comply with the requirements set forth in (e) above or shall have received a bachelor's degree from an accredited college in a biological or physical science and shall have passed at least one course in radiation safety offered by an accredited college.

(g) The registrant of a particle accelerator shall appoint a radiation protection committee whose approval shall be required for implementation of procedures for the use of each particle accelerator. The PASO shall be a member of this committee.

N.J. Admin. Code § 7:28-20.4