OHS REPS @ WORK

Action Plan for Health and Safety Reps

As with all workplace hazards, ionising radiation should be dealt with in this way:

1. Identification of the hazard (see information below)
2. Assessment of the risk
3. Elimination or reduction of the risk
4. Review and evaluation of any control strategies.

1 - Identification of hazard

• Ensure your employer identifies any sources of ionising radiation and undertakes monitoring;
• Ensure your employer monitors all workers who may be exposed to ionising radiation using a dosemeter, which is worn as a badge attached to clothing. At monthly intervals the dosemeter should be sent to a laboratory where the radiation exposure can be read
• Talk to members of your work group about the hazards of radiation and their control, and any effects they may be experiencing on a regular basis;
• Investigate any past incidents.

2 - Assessment of risk

• Ensure the employer assesses results of monitoring - keep a check on results;
• Ensure your employer has an effective incident reporting procedure in place to record actual and potential exposure to radiation, unsafe conditions, and workers.

3 - Elimination/reduction of risk

Ensure your employer controls the risks of radiation following the preferred order of control methods:

• takes all measures possible to avoid exposure;
• isolates all sources of radiation by shielding, containment or remote handling;
• maintains all radiation generating equipment in order to minimise radiation emitted and prevent any 'leakages';
• implements engineering controls to reduce radiation levels;
• develops safe practices work practices and procedures, and ensures they are followed;
• provides suitable protective clothing and administrative controls, including job rotation and rest breaks, to limit the amount of time employees are exposed, where engineering controls are unavailable or ineffective to reduce exposure levels;
• provides adequate information and training on any radiation hazards in the workplace. Training should include information on the sources of the radiation, the health effects, the control procedures in place and how they are monitored, safe work practices, personal protective equipment (PPE), emergency procedures and radiation monitoring programs where appropriate;
• maintains all controls implemented;
• develops back up options emergency procedures in the case of control measures failing.

The VTHC believes that the National occupational exposure standard of 20mSv per year, averaged over a period of 5 consecutive years, is too high.

4 - Review

Ensure:

• the employer maintains on-going monitoring of the environment and worker exposure to check effectiveness of control methods;
• you take up any immediate issues with your employer. Contact your union for further information and advice. 

Legal Standards

There are no legal limits to the amount of EMR which workers may be exposed to in Victoria - however remember the employer has a duty of care to provide and maintain a safe and healthy working environment for all employees as far as reasonably practicable.  This means taking into account all national standards and codes of practice.

There is a National Standard for limiting occupational exposure to ionising radiation [pdf] (a joint then National Occupational Health and Safety Commission and National Health and Medical Research Council standard) - but this has no regulatory standing in Victoria. The Standard sets the effective occupational dose limit at 20mSv per year, averaged over a period of 5 consecutive years. In the case of occupational exposure during pregnancy, the general principle is that the embryo or foetus 'should be afforded the same level of protection as is required for a member of the public'. The public dose limit is set at 1mSv in a year. This is in line with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP).

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has a number of Codes of Practice on radiation (eg ionising radiation in laboratories, safe use lasers in various industries, etc.)

Two Australian Standards on laser safety are used in the Building industry: AS2397 and AS2211. The building industry award also had provisions for "Laser Safety Officers", who were required to have the relevant training (and were entitled to a daily allowance).  While awards have now been 'stripped back', this provision should have been transferred to EBAs.

Remember also that employers have a duty under the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004) to provide and maintain for employees, as far as practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to health. This includes providing a safe system of work, information, training, supervision, and where appropriate personal protective equipment. The employer must also monitor conditions at the workplace. In addition, the Plant Code of Practice recommends that employers consider a number of Australian and other Standards on laser safety.

There is absolutely no 'safe' level of exposure to ionising radiation.

What is Ionising Radiation?

Radiation is electromagnetic waves such as light, radio waves and X-rays, and the particles emitted by radioactive materials. These particles and the more energetic waves produce electrically charged particles - called 'ions'  - in the materials they strike. Ionising radiation is high frequency and high-energy and can penetrate the body - it has enough energy to break up atoms and molecules as it passes through the body (ie, it can cause ionisation).

Ionising radiation occurs as either electromagnetic rays (X-rays and gamma rays) or particles (such alpha and beta particles).

• Alpha particles can be easily stopped (energy absorbed) by a piece of paper.
• Beta particles can penetrate one or two centimetres of human tissue - but can be stopped by glass or metal.
• Gamma rays and X-rays are waves of energy similar to visible light; except they have more energy and are invisible. They travel at the speed of light and penetrate matter more easily. They can be screened by lead, concrete or water.

More information on radiation in general

Where is it found?

Most ionising radiation in industry is due to X-rays. Equipment which emits X-rays can be found in:

• Medical and dental diagnostic and therapeutic radiography;
• Industrial radiography for detection of faults in welding or metal castings;
• Testing instruments such as thickness gauges in sheet metal, plastic and paper production.

Gamma radiation is used in the sterilisation of medical and surgical equipment. Radioactive isotopes are used in the mineral industry, in analytical laboratories, in diagnostic pathology and in research.

Measurement

With higher frequency radiation, the dose is described in terms of energy absorbed by the body using the unit of sievert. Sieverts are very large units and doses are more commonly expressed as a microsievert (one millionth of a sievert) or a millisieverts (mSv - one thousandth of a sievert).

What are the health effects of exposure to Ionising Radiation?

When radiation is absorbed in the body it causes chemical reactions to occur which can alter the normal functions of the body. At high doses (above 1 sievert) this can result in massive cell death, organ damage and even death. At low doses (less than 50 mSv) the situation is more complex.

The body is made up of different cells (eg brain cells, muscle cells, blood cells etc). Different tissues in the body are affected by ionising radiation in different ways. It is the genes within a cell that determine how a cell functions. Even low doses of radiation can cause damage to the genes.

• RADIATION SICKNESS:
  When the body is exposed to large doses of ionising radiation over a short period, for example as a result of a radiation accident - can lead to severe massive cell destruction and death of the person. This can occur very quickly, or over a longer period of time if the dose was smaller. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, loss of hair, inflammation of the mouth and throat.
• CANCER:
  A cell damaged by ionising radiation can lose its ability to control the rate at which it reproduces - this is cancer. Radiation at low doses can have this effect. The most common radiation induced cancers are leukaemia, skin tumours and thyroid cancer, though tumours in various other organs can also occur.
• GENETIC DEFECTS & REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY:
  If an unborn child is exposed to ionising radiation, then the chances that of the child then developing childhood cancer (especially leukaemia) are greater. Changes to basic cell structures (mutations) of reproductive cells (ova or sperm) can lead to miscarriages and birth defects.
• CATARACTS:
  Clouding of the lens of the eye, eventually leading to blindness.