The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. |
Radiation management plans should include details of: | work practices, such as safe working rules and emergency response procedures roles and responsibilities of personnel radiation monitoring requirements control of an incident involving a source storage of a source accountability and records other requirements that may have a bearing on safety |
Hazards may include: | inhalation of radioactive dust or gas ingestion of radioactive dust or contaminated food or water unexpected exposure to sealed or unsealed radiation sources or partially enclosed equipment that emits ionising radiation |
Monitoring equipment may include: | radiation instruments and survey meters, such as: air proportional (alpha) gas proportional (alpha, beta) gas ionisation (gamma) Geiger-Muller (beta, gamma) ionisation (beta) scintillation (alpha, beta, gamma) solid state (alpha, gamma) wipe test equipment sample containers, shovels, augers, buckets, air/water pumps, and stainless steel bailers |
Safe working rules will vary according to the type of source equipment and should include monitoring details, such as: | for example, RPS No.13 Code of Practice and Safety Guide for Safe Use of Fixed Radiation Gauges (2007), which specifies that working rules include details of: expected radiation levels around each fixed radiation gauge under the control of the responsible person tests for non-fixed surface contamination where appropriate occasions on which radiation surveys and contamination tests will be carried out methods for conducting radiation surveys, wipe tests and other examinations required by the code, and for reporting and recording results types and occasions for use of personal monitoring devices |
Radiation protection safety standards, codes and guidelines may include: | Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) radiation protection series publications, such as: RPS No.1 Recommendations for Limiting Exposure to Ionizing Radiation (1995) and National Standard for Limiting Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation (republished 2002) RPS No.7 Recommendations for Intervention in Emergency Situations Involving Radiation Exposure (2004) RPS No.6 National Directory for Radiation Protection, (December 2009) RPS No.9 Code of Practice and Safety Guide for Radiation Protection and Radioactive Waste Management in Mining and Mineral Processing (2005) RPS No.15 Safety Guide for the Management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) (2008) requirements of commonwealth, state and territory radiation protection and safety legislation definition of a responsible person Australian standards |
Monitoring tasks may include: | observation of personnel conducting work activities in controlled radiation areas surveys and measurements for: establishing background levels identifying areas of elevated activity and possible contamination identifying and quantifying radiation contamination at specified locations locating discrete radiation sources assessing integrity of packaging or shielding determining the effectiveness of decontamination locating contamination on personnel and equipment verifying contamination control boundaries collection of air, water, soil, plant and animal specimens to monitor contamination |
Personal protective equipment may include: | gloves, over-boots, safety hats, goggles, face masks, overalls and gowns respirators or HEPA filter masks |
Ionising radiation may include: | x-rays, electrons, neutrons, gamma rays, beta particles and alpha particles emitted from radioactive materials, including sealed and unsealed sources neutrons emitted from generator tubes x-rays generated by industrial radiography equipment, XRF and XRD instruments |
Instrument checks and minor maintenance may include: | battery changes calibration checks zero checks |
Required records may include details of: | approvals and authorisations granted by the appropriate authority specifications of the radiation management plan and monitoring program estimates of doses received by employees and by members of the public health records of personnel and individual monitoring data environmental radiation measurements calibration, inspection and maintenance of radiation instruments and equipment transport of radioactive sources shipment of radioactive ores radioactive waste disposal procurement and disposal of radioactive sources incidents and accidents involving exposure to radiation and corrective measures taken |
Radiation incidents may include: | exposure of unauthorised personnel entering a controlled area personal exposure above statutory exposure limits and a monitoring result in excess of statutory derived levels of exposure exposure from an uncontrolled, high hazard radioactive sealed source that: has loss or destruction of shielding is involved in a transport accident is lost, missing or stolen has a malfunction of its shutter or interlocks has been dropped during removal from its container has jammed in an unsafe position exposure from equipment that emits ionising radiation and has: loss or destruction of shielding malfunction of its shutter or interlocks exposure from dispersed radioactive material caused by: leakage or radioactive contamination industrial or laboratory accident uncontrolled releases of radioactive materials from a mine site, such as dust or contaminated water dispersion of contaminants following destruction of a high activity sealed source |
Response procedures will include: | instructions for keeping exposures to a minimum, consistent with essential operations through evacuation or otherwise instructions for notifying the relevant competent authority if required |