Specific Requirements
All applications will need to consider the common requirements listed for registrations. These considerations also apply to amendments to existing registrations.
Additional information is provided below specific to only certain types of equipment or practices.
The Australian Code of Practice for the Security of Radioactive Sources (RPS 11) published by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) applies to security enhanced sources as defined in the Code via the conditions, restrictions and limitations that are imposed on the registration under Section 36 of the Radiation Safety Act.
The Code specifies security requirements to be implemented by persons responsible for sealed radioactive sources in order to decrease the likelihood of unauthorised access to a radioactive source. The ‘responsible person’ referred to in the Code can usually be considered to be the registrant or their delegate as appropriate.
Registrants of Category 4 or 5 sources or the aggregation thereof are only required to meet section 7 of the Code, which contains requirements about security breach notifications, accounting for sources and record keeping. The Code and conditions of registration impose additional obligations on registrants of security enhanced sources (Categories 1, 2 and 3); be aware that the aggregation of sources may increase the Category.
Persons responsible for security enhanced sources must ensure a source security plan is developed which demonstrates how they will satisfy the requirements of the Code by implementing risk based security measures appropriate to the category of the source. Persons responsible for security enhanced sources must ensure that the source security plan is assessed and endorsed by an accredited assessor. Companies that are transporting security enhanced sources would need to have a source transport security plan which will need to demonstrate how the responsible person will satisfy the transport-related security requirements.
Both security plan(s) will need to be endorsed by an accredited assessor. Proof of the endorsement must be forwarded to the Radiological Council. Copies of source security plans are not to be provided to the Radiological Council with this endorsement.
Accredited Assessors
The list of accredited assessors and also further information in relation to security of radioactive material is on the ARPANSA website.
For Western Australia, the chosen assessor must be individually licensed as a security consultant under the Security and Related Activities (Control) Act 1996 and also be associated with a licensed Security Agent (usually on behalf of a company). There are similar requirements for other states. That Act is administered by the WA Police and a list of current licence holders is available on the WA Police website.
For source security plans there is an expectation that the assessor attends the site as part of the assessment process. The source transport security plans require a desktop assessment only and can therefore be assessed by accredited assessors only appearing on the ARPANSA list.
Dentists require a licence to purchase and operate Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) equipment. See Licence-Prerequisites for further information end eligibility requirements.
A radiation shielding assessment will need to be conducted by a third-party radiation consultant for the room where the CBCT equipment will be installed. See Facility Design for further information on shielding requirements for x-ray equipment. The shielding assessment must be submitted to the Radiological Council for review before a CBCT unit can be approved for use.
The licence and registration conditions for the use of CBCT require that as soon as practicable, all CBCT images are reported on by an Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency registered medical radiologist or dento-maxillofacial radiologist. Evidence of a reporting agreement must be submitted to Council with your application to register CBCT equipment.
Mining
Radiation Safety on certain mine sites is subject to regulation administered by the Mines Safety Directorate of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) in Western Australia. The requirements for Radiation Safety Officers and Radiation Management Plans for these sites will also need to meet requirements administered by DMIRS.
Pulsed neutron generators
Pulsed neutron generators are irradiating apparatus that also incorporate a tritium (3H or H-3) target. A registration is required for both irradiating apparatus and radioactive substances.
All Lasers
All lasers in Western Australia, regardless of laser class, must comply with the requirements of the laser safety standard. All users of lasers must comply with the requirements of the Radiation Safety Act and Radiation Safety (General) Regulations.
Registration is required only for high-powered Class 3B and Class 4 lasers.
In Western Australia, laser pointers of power output greater than 1mW should not be used or possessed by members of the general public. Further information on laser pointers can be obtained from the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
Entertainment Lasers
A display safety record (DSR) which outlines detailed particulars of the laser setup and safety must be submitted in order for the registration or an individual show to be approved. Refer to AS/NZS IEC 60825.3:2016 Safety of laser products Part 3: Guidance for laser displays and shows (available on www.saiglobal.com).
For outdoor laser displays and open-air arenas, the laser operator must ensure that the lasers do not pose an aviation safety risk. The event organiser is required to notify Air Services Australia regarding the laser show. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) provides guidance for display operators to self-determine their effect on aviation in advisory circular AC-139-23. You are required to submit the laser power and divergence calculator form available on the CASA website with the DSR for outdoor laser shows. For more information, refer to the CASA website for laser and light shows.
Cosmetic Use of Lasers
The following fact sheet is relevant for persons intending to use lasers for cosmetic purposes in Western Australia. Intense Pulsed Light is not currently regulated under the Radiation Safety Act.
Radioactive substances used in schools
School demonstration sources contain small amounts of radioactive material. Sources used in secondary schools are sealed and produce very small amounts of radiation; they pose no risk to teachers or students as long as the sources remain sealed. Sources used in tertiary educational institutions may produce larger quantities of radiation when necessary to demonstrate a particular event or property. However, when properly used, stored and handled these also pose no significant risk to students or teachers. The controls and restrictions on the possession and use of radioactive materials are intended to reflect the hazard and so increase with the hazard level.
Demonstration sources should be used in accordance with the Australian Safety Guide for the Use of Radiation in Schools 2012 (RPS 18) published by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). Demonstration sources should be stored in a secure place. Appropriate audit methods should be in place so that the location of each source is controlled at all times. After use, all sources must be accounted for and returned to a lockable environment. Sources should be stored in a place where human occupancy is minimal.
Registration not required in certain circumstances
Storage of radioactive substances must comply with Regulation 30 of the Radiation Safety (General) Regulations. Should radioactive substances be stored on any premises for greater than 24 hours while the consignment is in transit, the premises must be registered under the Radiation Safety Act. Regulation 28A(1) of the Radiation Safety (General) Regulations provides an exemption from the requirement from the need for registration where —
- radioactive substances are stored at the premises only while they are being transported between 2 other premises;
- each package containing a radioactive substance is stored on the premises for 24 hours or less; AND
- packages containing radioactive substances are, at all times while they are on the premises, kept under the control of a person who holds a licence for the storage or transport of radioactive substances and in a part of the premises to which the public does not have access.
Radiation Protection Programme
Any company transporting radioactive substances must prepare a radiation protection programme in accordance with Regulation 5 of the Radiation Safety (Transport of Radioactive Substances) Regulations. Guidance material on the preparation of the Radiation Protection Programme is available from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as IAEA Safety Guide No. TS-G-1.3.