ATOMIC ENERGY (RADIATION PROTECTION) RULES, 2004
[PUBLISHED IN THE GAZETTE OF
PART-II-SECTION
3-SUB-SECTION (i)
GOVERNMENT OF
DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC
ENERGY
Mumbai, the
25th August, 2004
G.S.R. 303.--- In
exercise of the powers conferred by Section 30 read with Section 3 and clause
(i) and sub-clauses (c) and (d) of clause (ii) of Sub-Section (1),
Sub-Section (4) of Section 14, and Sections 16, 17 and other relevant
Sections of the Atomic Energy Act (33 of 1962) and all other powers enabling
it in this behalf, and in supercession of Radiation Protection Rules 1971
except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such
supercession, the Central Government hereby makes the following rules,
namely:-
1. Short title, extent and commencement: -
(1) These rules may be called the Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules,
2004.
(2) These rules shall apply to practices adopted
and interventions applied with respect to radiation sources.
(3) They extend to the whole of
(4) They shall come into force from the date of
their final publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions. - (1) In these rules,
unless the context otherwise requires:-
(a) "accident" means any unintended
event, including operating error, equipment failure or other mishap, the
consequences or potential consequences of which are not negligible from the radiation
protection point of view;
(b) "Act" means the Atomic Energy Act,
1962 (33 of 1962);
(c) "activation" means production of
induced radioactivity by nuclear reactions;
(d) "activity”" means the average
number of spontaneous nuclear transformations taking place per unit time in a
radioactive substance or material;
(e) "adequate protection" means
protection against radiation so provided that the regulatory constraints
notified by the competent authority are not exceeded;
(f) "appropriate" means appropriate in
the opinion of the competent authority to ensure adequate protection;
(g) "competent authority" means any
officer or authority referred to in Section 27 of the Act;
(h) "contamination" means the presence
of a radioactive substance in or on a material or in the human body or other
place in excess of quantities specified in the relevant safety codes by the
competent authority;
(i) "controlled area" means any area in
which specific protection measures and safety provisions are or could be
required for:
(a) controlling exposures or preventing the
spread of contamination during normal working conditions; and (b) preventing
or limiting the extent of potential exposures;
(j) "conveyance" means :-
(i) any vehicle for the purpose of transport by
road;
(ii) any vessel, hold, or deck defined under the
law being in force, for the purposes of transport by water; and
(iii) any aircraft for the purpose of transport
by air;
(k) "decommissioning" means
discontinuation of the use of radiation equipment or installation on a
permanent basis, with or without dismantling the equipment, including removal
or containment of radioactive materials;
(l) "dose" means absorbed dose, organ
dose, equivalent dose, effective dose, or committed equivalent dose, or
committed effective dose depending on the context;
(m) "employer" means any person who
employs workers or imparts training using sources or who is self-employed as
a worker, in a radiation installation;
(n) "exposure" means the act or
condition of being exposed to radiation;
(o) "handle" means manufacture,
possess, store, use, transfer by sale or otherwise, export, import, transport
or dispose of;
(p) "intervention" means any action to
reduce or avert exposure or likelihood of exposure to sources which are not
part of controlled practice or which are out of control as a result of
accident;
(q) "licence" means a licence issued
under rule 3;
(r) "licensee" means a person to whom
licence has been issued under these rules;
(s) "medical exposure" means exposure
incurred by -
(i) patients as part of their own medical
diagnosis or treatment;
(ii) persons, other than occupationally exposed,
while knowingly andwillingly helping in the support and comfort of patients;
and
(iii) volunteers in biomedical research;
(t) "nuclear fuel cycle" means all
operations associated with the production of nuclear energy, including
mining, milling, processing of uranium or thorium; enrichment of uranium;
manufacture of nuclear fuel; operation of reactors; reprocessing of nuclear
fuel; decommissioning; radioactive waste management and any research or
development activity related to any of the foregoing;
(u) "off-site emergency" means accident
condition or emergency situation involving excessive release of radioactive
materials/hazardous chemicals from the plant into public domain calling for
an intervention;
(v) "person" shall include an
individual or a company or association or body of individuals, whether
incorporated or not; or Central Government or a State Government;
(w) "personnel monitoring" means determination
or estimation of the dose received by an individual from external and/or
internal radiation;
(x) "potential exposure" means exposure
that is not expected to be delivered with certainty but which can result from
an accident involving a source or due to an event or sequence of events of a
probabilistic nature including equipment failure and operating errors;
(y) "practice" means any human activity
that introduces additional sources or exposure pathways or extends exposure
to additional people or modifies the network of exposure pathways from
existing sources, which may increase the exposure or likelihood of exposure
of people, or the number of people exposed;
(z) "quality assurance" means any
planned and systematic action necessary to provide adequate confidence that a
structure, system, component or procedure will perform satisfactorily, in
compliance with safety standards specified by the competent authority, and
includes quality control;
(za) "quality control" means the set of
operations (programming, coordinating, implementing) intended to maintain or
to improve quality and includes monitoring, evaluation and maintenance at
required levels of performance;
(zb) "radiation installation" means any
location or facility, including a mobile facility, in which a radiation
generating equipment or plant or radioactive material is present and which in
the opinion of the competent authority requires radiation surveillance for
ensuring adequate protection against radiation;
(zc) “radiation surveillance" means measures,
including measurements and reviews performed, to ensure adequate protection;
(zd) "radiation work" means work
involving exposure;
(ze) "radiation worker" means any
person who is occupationally exposed to radiation;
(zf) "Radiological Safety Officer” means any
person who is so designated by the employer with the approval of the
competent authority;
(zg) "regulatory constraint" means
restriction on radiation protection parameters notified by the competent
authority;
(zh) "sealed source" means radioactive
material that is -
(a) (i) permanently sealed in a capsule; or (ii)
in a solid form which is closely bounded and
(b) is designed to meet the safety standards
prescribed by the competent authority;
(zi) "source" means a radioactive
material or a radiation generating plant or equipment;
(zj) "supervised area" means any area
not already designated as a controlled area but where occupational exposure
conditions are kept under review even though specific protection measures and
safety provisions are not normally needed;
(zk) "unsealed source" means any
radioactive material that is not a sealed source; and
(zl) "worker" means radiation worker.
(2) Words and expressions used in these rules and
not defined but defined in the Act, shall have the meanings respectively
assigned to them in the Act.
3. Licence:- (1) No person shall, without
a licence -
(a) establish a radiation installation for
siting, design, construction, commissioning and operation; and (b)
decommission a radiation installation.
(2) No person shall handle any radioactive
material, or operate any radiation generating equipment except in accordance
with the terms and conditions of a licence.
(3) A licence shall be issued for sources and
practices associated with the operation of -
(i) nuclear fuel cycle facilities;
(ii) land based high intensity gamma irradiators
other than gamma irradiation chambers;
(iii) particle accelerators used for research and
industrial applications;
(iv) neutron generators;
(v) facilities engaged in the commercial
production of radioactive material or radiation generating equipment;
(vi) telegamma and accelerators used in
radiotherapy;
(vii) computed tomography (CT) unit;
(viii) interventional radiological x-ray unit;
(ix) industrial radiography; and
(x) such other source or practice as may be
notified by the competent authority, from time to time.
Provided that for sources and practices
associated with the operation of -
(i) brachytherapy;
(ii) deep x-ray units, superficial and contact
therapy x-ray units;
(iii) gamma irradiation chambers;
(iv) nuclear medicine facilities;
(v) facilities engaged in the commercial
production of nucleonic gauges and consumer products containing radioactive
material; and
(vi) such other source or practice as may be
notified by the competent authority, from time to time; an authorisation
shall be necessary.
Provided further that for sources and practices
associated with the operation of -
(i) medical diagnostic x-ray equipment including
therapy simulator;
(ii) analytical x-ray equipment used for research;
(iii) nucleonic gauges;
(iv) RIA laboratories;
(v) radioactive sources in tracer studies;
(vi) biomedical research using radioactive
material; and
(vii) such other source or practice as may be
notified by the competent authority, from time to time; a registration shall
be necessary.
Provided also that for -
(i) approval for siting, design, construction,
commissioning and decommissioning of a radiation installation;
(ii) approval for sealed sources, radiation
generating equipment and equipment containing radioactive sources, for the
purposes of manufacture and supply;
(iii) approval for package design for transport
of radioactive material;
(iv) approval for shipment approval for
radioactive consignments; and
(v) such other source or practice as may be notified
by the competent authority, from time to time; consent shall be necessary.
(4) The licence shall not be transferable without
the prior approval of the competent authority.
4. Fees for licence: The competent
authority may prescribe by notification in the Official Gazette, appropriate
fees payable for issuance of licence specified in these rules.
5. Exemption:- The use and disposal of an
substance and materials which spontaneously emit radiation not exceeding the
level of radiation prescribed by notification issued under clause (i) of
Sub-Section (1) of Section 2 of the Act and the use of radiation generating
equipment, devices or appliances emitting radiation not exceeding the limit
determined by the Central Government under clause (g) of Section 3 of the
Act, are exempted from the purview of rule 3.
6. Exclusion:- Exposures resulting from
naturally occurring radionuclides present in the human body, cosmic radiation
at the earth surface, unmodified concentrations of radionuclides in raw
materials and from other sources and practices which may be prescribed as not
amenable for control, are excluded from these rules.
7. Conditions precedent to the issuance of a
licence:-(1) An application for licence shall be made by to the competent
authority by an employer or a person duly authorized by him.
(2) No licence to handle radioactive material, or
to operate radiation generating equipment, shall be issued to a person
unless, in the opinion of the competent authority -
(a) the application for such licence is for purposes
envisaged by the Act;
(b) documentation relevant to the licence and
complete in all respects is submitted to the competent authority;
(c) in respect of approval for siting, design,
construction, commissioning and decommissioning, of a radiation installation,
the proposed equipment, facilities and handling procedures afford adequate
protection during normal or intended operations;
(d) the applicant has demonstrated compliance
with the provisions of the relevant safety codes and safety standards specified
by the competent authority; and
(e) in respect of licence for operation of a
radiation installation -
(i) all the requirements relating to safety
specified by the competent authority in the relevant safety codes and safety
standards have been satisfied in the construction of the radiation
installation;
(ii) workers have appropriate training and
instructions in radiation safety, in addition to the appropriate
qualification and training required for performing their intended tasks;
(iii) a Radiological Safety Officer is designated
in accordance with rule 19;
(iv) appropriate radiation monitors and dosimetry
devices are available with the applicant for purposes of radiation
surveillance;
(f) the equipment, facilities and handling
procedures afford adequate protection during normal operations, minimize
occurrence of potential exposures and enable appropriate remedial actions to
be taken in the event of an accident.
(3) No type approval of sealed sources, radiation
generating equipment and equipment containing a radioactive source for the
purpose of manufacture and supply or package design approval for transport of
radioactive material or shipment
approval for radioactive consignment or any other
approval as notified under third proviso to rule 3, by the competent
authority may be issued unless, in the opinion of the competent authority,
the applicant has demonstrated compliance with the relevant safety codes and
safety standards specified by him.
8. Issuance of licence:- The licence shall
be issued within a period of one hundred and eighty days from the date of
receipt of the application subject to the condition that all the requirements
for issuance of the licence have been duly fulfilled.
9. Period of validity of Licence:- Every
licence issued under rule 3 shall, unless otherwise specified, be valid for a
period of five years from the date of issue of such licence.
10. Suspension, modification or withdrawal of
a licence:- The competent authority
may -
(i) if in its opinion, the licensee has
contravened any of the provisions of these
rules; or
(ii) considers it to be necessary in public
interest pertaining to radiation safety; after giving a show cause notice to
the licensee and also giving him an opportunity to make a representation
within a period of thirty days from the date of receipt of the notice by him
against the action proposed to be taken and on consideration of his
representation,
(a) suspend the operation of the licence for a
specified period of time; or
(b) revoke or modify the terms and conditions of
the licence.
11. Modification of radiation installation or
change in working condition:- No modification to an existing radiation
installation or no change in working conditions therein, affecting safety
shall be done without the prior approval of the competent authority.
12. Restrictions on use of sources:- (1)
The licensee shall not handle any source:-
(a) other than those specified in the licence;
(b) for any purpose other than those specified in
the licence; and
(c) in any location except as specified in the
licence.
(2) The licensee shall ensure that individuals
other than those who may be specified in the licence do not handle the
source.
13. Restriction on certain practices:- (1)
Practices such as deliberate addition of radioactive substances in foodstuffs,
beverages, toys, personal ornaments, and cosmetics or any other commodity or
product intended for ingestion, inhalation or percutaneous intake by, or
application to, a human being and sale, import or export of such products
shall not be permitted.
(2) Activation of the aforesaid products shall
not be permitted.
14. Radiation symbol or Warning sign:- (1)
The radiation symbol or warning sign
shall be conspicuously and prominently displayed
at all times -
(a) on externally visible surfaces of radiation
equipment, and containers for storage of radioactive materials; packages for
radioactive materials and vehicles carrying such packages;
(b) at the entrance to the room housing the
radiation generating equipment; and
(c) at the entrance of controlled area and
supervised area.
(2) The radiation symbol shall not be used for
any purpose other than those mentioned in these rules.
(3) The specification of the radiation symbol or
warning sign shall be as prescribed by the competent authority, by order for
that purpose.
15. Dose limits and other regulatory
constraints:-The licensee shall ensure compliance with the dose limits
and other regulatory constraints specified by the competent authority by
order under these rules.
16. Safety Standards and Safety Codes:- The
competent authority may issue safety codes and safety standards, from time to
time, prescribing the requirements for radiation installation, sealed
sources, radiation generating equipment and equipment containing radioactive
sources, and transport of radioactive material and the licensee shall ensure
compliance with the same.
17. Prohibition of employment of persons below
certain age:- (1) No person unde the age of 18 years shall be employed as
a worker.
(2) No person under the age of 16 years shall be
taken as trainee or employed as an apprentice for radiation work.
18. Classified worker:- The employer shall
designate as classified workers, those of his employees, who are likely to
receive an effective dose in excess of three tenths of the average annual
dose limits notified by the competent authority and shall forthwith inform
those employees that they have been so designated.
19. Radiological Safety Officer:- Every
employer shall designate, with the written approval of the competent
authority, a person having appropriate qualifications as Radiological Safety
Officer.
20. Responsibilities of the employer:- (1)
Every employer shall:
(a) ensure that provisions of these rules are
implemented by the licensee, Radiological Safety Officer and other worker(s),
(b) provide facilities and equipment to the
licensee, Radiological Safety Officer and other worker(s) to carry out their
functions effectively in conformity with the regulatory constraints,
(c) prior to employment of a worker, procure from
his former employer, where applicable, the dose records and health
surveillance reports,
(d) upon termination of service of worker provide
to his new employer on request his dose records and health surveillance
reports,
(e) furnish to each worker dose records and
health surveillance reports of the worker in his employment annually, as and
when requested by the worker and at the termination of his service,
(f) inform the competent authority if the
licensee or the Radiological Safety Officer or any worker leaves the
employment, and
(g) arrange for health surveillance of workers as
specified under rule 25.
(2) The employer shall be the custodian of
radiation sources in his possession and shall ensure physical security of the
sources at all times.
(3) The employer shall inform the competent
authority, within twenty four hours, of any accident involving a source or
loss of source of which he is the custodian.
21. Responsibilities of the licensee:- (1)
The responsibility for implementing the
terms and conditions of the licence shall rest
with the licensee.
(2) The licensee shall comply with the
surveillance procedures, safety codes and safety standards specified by the
competent authority.
(3) Every licensee shall establish written
procedures and plans for controlling, monitoring and assessment of exposure
for ensuring adequate protection of workers, members of the public and the
environment and patients, wherever applicable.
(4) The licensee shall comply with the provision
of rules for safe disposal of radioactive waste issued under the Act.
(5) Without prejudice to the generality of the
above, the licensee shall
(a) not allow workers, other than those specified
in sub-clause (ii) of clause (e) of sub-rule (2) of rule 7 and already dealt
with under rule 17.
(b) maintain records of workers as specified
under rule 24;
(c) arrange for preventive and remedial
maintenance of radiation protection equipment, and monitoring instruments;
(d) in consultation with the Radiological Safety
Officer, investigate any case of exposure in excess of regulatory constraints
received by individual workers and maintain records of such investigations;
(e) inform competent authority promptly of the
occurrence, investigation and follow-up actions in cases of exposure in
excess of regulatory constraints, including steps to prevent recurrence of
such incidents;
(f) carry out physical verification of
radioactive material periodically and maintain inventory;
(g) inform appropriate law enforcement agency in
the locality of any loss of source;
(h) inform the employer and the competent
authority of any loss of source;
(i) investigate and inform the competent
authority of any accident involving source and maintain record of
investigations;
(j) verify the performance of radiation
monitoring systems, safety interlocks, protective devices and any other
safety systems in the radiation installation;
(k) in consultation with Radiological Safety
Officer, prepare emergency plans, as specified in rule 33, for responding to
accident to mitigate their consequences and ensure emergency preparedness
measures;
(l) conduct or arrange for quality assurance
tests of structures, systems, components and sources and related equipment;
(m) advise the employer about the modifications
in working condition of a pregnant worker;
(n) inform the competent authority if the
Radiological Safety Officer or a worker leaves the employment; and
(o) inform the competent authority when he leaves
the employment.
(6) The licensee shall ensure that the workers
are familiarised with contents of the relevant surveillance procedures,
safety standards, safety codes, safety guides and safety manuals issued by
the competent authority and emergency response plans.
22. Responsibilities of the Radiological
Safety Officer:-
(1) The Radiological Safety Officer shall be responsible
for advising and assisting the employer and licensee on safety aspects aimed
at ensuring that the provisions of these rules are complied with.
(2) The Radiological Safety Officer shall:-
(a) carry out routine measurements and analysis
on radiation and radioactivity levels in the controlled area, supervised area
of the radiation installation and maintain records of the results thereof;
(b) investigate any situation that could lead to
potential exposures;
(c) advise the employer regarding -
(i) the necessary steps aimed at ensuring that
the regulatory constraints and the terms and conditions of the licence are
adhered to;
(ii) the safe storage and movement of radioactive
material within the radiation installation;
(iii) initiation of suitable remedial measures in
respect of any situation that could lead to potential exposures; and
(iv) routine measurements and analysis on
radiation and radioactivity levels in the off-site environment of the
radiation installation and maintenance of the results thereof;
(d) ensure that -
(i) reports on all hazardous situations along
with details of any immediate remedial actions taken are made available to
the employer and licensee for reporting to the competent authority and a copy
endorsed to the competent authority;
(ii) quality assurance tests of structures,
systems, components and sources, as applicable are conducted; and
(iii) monitoring instruments are calibrated
periodically.
(e) assist the employer in -
(i) instructing the workers on hazards of
radiation and on suitable safety measures and work practices aimed at optimizing
exposures to radiation sources; and
(ii) the safe disposal of radioactive wastes; and
(iii) developing suitable emergency response
plans to deal with accidents and maintaining emergency preparedness;
(f) advise the licensee on -
(i) the modifications in working condition of a
pregnant worker; and
(ii) the safety and security of radioactive
sources;
(g) furnish to the licensee and the competent
authority the periodic reports on safety status of the radiation
installation; and
(h) inform the competent authority when he leaves
the employment.
23. Responsibilities of worker:-(1) Every
worker shall observe the safety requirements and follow safety procedures and
instructions and shall refrain from any wilful act that could be detrimental
to self, co-workers, the radiation installation and public.
(2) The worker shall:-
(a) provide to the employer information about his
previous occupations including radiation work, if any;
(b) make proper use of such protective equipment,
radiation monitors and Personnel monitoring devices as provided; and
(c) inform the licensee and the Radiological
Safety Officer, of any accident or potentially hazardous situation that may
come to his notice;
(3) A female worker shall, on becoming aware that
she is pregnant, notify the employer, licensee and Radiological Safety
Officer in order that her working conditions may be modified, if necessary.
24. Records of workers:- (1) Every
licensee shall maintain complete and up-to-date records of -
(a) personnel monitoring under Clause (b) of
sub-rule (2) of rule 27, in the format as specified by order by the competent
authority; and
(b) the health surveillance specified in rule 25.
(2) Such records shall be preserved during the
working life of each worker, and afterwards until the worker attains or would
have attained the age of Seventy five years, or not less than thirty years
after the termination of the work involving occupational exposure whichever
is later.
(3) A worker shall have access to his personnel
monitoring and the health surveillance records.
25. Health surveillance of workers:- (1)
Every employer shall provide the services of a physician with appropriate
qualifications to undertake occupational health surveillance of classified
workers.
(2) Every worker, initially on employment, and
classified worker, thereafter at least once in three years as long as the
individual is employed, shall be subjected to the following -
(a) general medical examination as specified by
order by the competent authority; and
(b) health surveillance to decide on the fitness
of each worker for the intended task;
(3) The health surveillance shall include -
(a) special tests or medical examinations as
specified by order by the competent authority, for workers who have received
dose in excess of regulatory constraints; and
(b) counselling of pregnant workers.
26. Medical exposures:- The licensee
carrying out diagnostic or therapeutic work using radiation generating
equipment, sealed or unsealed sources, shall for optimizing the medical
exposure ensure that -
(a) performance of the equipment is verified
periodically by appropriate quality assurance tests;
(b) records are maintained for a period specified
by the competent authority of -
(i) radiation doses received by therapy patients;
(ii) activity administered to patients for
diagnostic and therapeutic purposes;and
(iii) other relevant parameters;
(c) the exposure of humans for bio-medical
research is carried out only on healthy volunteers with their prior consent
in writing. The methodology, the number of volunteers and the radiation dose
they are subjected to shall be reviewed by the ethical review committee
constituted by the employer; and
(d) any accidental medical exposure is
investigated and a written report is submitted to the competent authority.
27. Radiation surveillance requirements:-
(1) The competent authority may by order specify appropriate radiation
surveillance requirements and procedures and the employer and the licensee
shall comply with them.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of the
foregoing provisions, such radiation surveillance requirements and procedures
may provide that -
(a) the siting, design, construction,
commissioning, operation, servicing and maintenance and decommissioning of
facilities involving the use of radiation, and disposal of radioactive
material shall be done in accordance with the specifications laid down by the
competent authority in the relevant safety codes and safety standards;
(b) the workers shall be subjected to personnel
monitoring and health surveillance and appropriate records shall be
maintained;
(c) transport of radioactive material in public
domain shall be in accordance with the procedures laid down by the competent
authority and in accordance with the other regulations pertaining to
transport by different modes; and
(d) appropriate quality assurance requirements in
the above.
28. Directives in the cases of exposures in
excess of regulatory constraints:- (1) When, in the opinion of the
competent authority, any worker has exceeded the dose constraints, the
competent authority may, without prejudice to other course of action
available, issue appropriate directives for controlling further exposure and the
employer shall comply with the directives.
(2) If a worker discontinues radiation work under
the directives of the competent authority issued under this rule, the
employer shall assign alternative work not involving exposure to radiation,
until the competent authority is satisfied about the fitness of the worker to
resume radiation work.
(3) The employer shall comply with restrictions,
if any, that the competent authority may impose in this regard.
29. Power to appoint or recognize persons or
agencies:- The competent authority may, from time to time, appoint or
recognize persons or agencies having the qualifications and expertise,
prescribed in the relevant safety code, for the purpose of performing any of
the functions entrusted to them by the authority and for ensuring compliance
with radiological surveillance.
30. Inspection of premises, radiation
installations and conveyances:- (1) Any person duly authorised under
sub-Section (4) of Section 17 of the Act may, for the purposes of enforcement
of these rules, inspect any premises, or radiation installation, or conveyance.
(2) The date and time of inspection may or may
not be informed to the employer or the licensee prior to the inspection.
(3) The employer and the licensee shall extend
all assistance to enable the inspection to be carried out effectively and unhindered.
(4) The findings of the inspection shall be
forwarded to the licensee for necessary corrective actions.
(5) Inspection may be carried out at all
licencing stages, namely, siting, construction, commissioning, operation and
decommissioning.
(6) The person authorised to conduct inspection
may -
(a) Inspect, from safety point of view, to ensure
that the licensee has fulfilled the radiological safety requirements for
carrying out the practices at the radiation installation as per the
stipulations laid down in the licence. This shall include -
(i) checking, whether the safety related
structures, systems,components and devices are of approved quality based, on
the relevant safety codes and safety standards specified by the competent
authority and that they are functioning as per the design intent, (checking
that respective operating personnel are competent to operate the facility;
(ii) that the facilities are operating as per the
approved technical specification; and
(iii) conducting all such examinations (including
verification of relevant records) as may be considered necessary;
(b) make such tests and measurements as may be
necessary for the purpose of assessing radiation safety;
(c) investigate unusual incidents or accidents,
if any, that had occurred at the radiation installation and arrive at the
reasons for the same and recommend corrective measures;
(d) review and verify whether the corrective
actions have been implemented;and
(e) inspect radioactive consignments in any
conveyance carrying radioactive material and inspect any package containing
radioactive material.
31. Power to investigate, seal or seize
radiation installation or radioactive material and to give direction to the
employer:- (1) Any person duly authorised under Section 17 of the
Act, may, after inspection, carry out investigation for the purposes of
determining contravention of any of the provisions of these rules;
(2) The investigation may be carried out against
a complaint or on suspicion or after an unusual incident or accident;
(3) The person authorised to investigate may -
(a) seal any radiation installation or any
conveyance carrying radioactive materials or seize any radioactive material
or contaminated equipment; and
(b) indicate in writing to the employer any
recommendation aimed at ensuring adequate protection and the licensee shall
comply with the same.
32. Directives in case of accidents:- (1)
In the event of an accident involving the source or release of radioactive
material, the competent authority may -
(a) Intervene and issue such directions as deemed
fit and proper under the circumstances in the interest of radiation safety
and the employer shall act as per the directions of the competent authority
and shall make every effort to mitigate the consequences of the accident , or
(b) The competent authority may assign experts to
give advice or render assistance in mitigating the consequences of the
accident and the expenses incurred, if any, shall be reimbursed by the
employer.
(2) In the interest of safety of the radiation
installation, workers, public and the environment, the competent authority
may issue such directions as it may deem fit for ensuring safety including
the immediate shutting down of the radiation installation and the employer
shall comply with the directions.
33. Emergency preparedness:- (1) The
licensee shall prepare emergency response plans as specified by the competent
authority in the relevant safety codes and maintain emergency preparedness.
(2) The licensee shall submit the response plans
for plant emergencies and site emergencies to the competent authority for
approval.
(3) The licensee shall submit the response plans
for off-site emergencies prepared by the appropriate authorities to the
competent authority for review.
(4) In respect of radiation installations
governed by clause (a) of sub-rule (3) of rule 3 and clause (b) of sub-rule
(3) of rule 3, emergency response plans shall be submitted to the competent
authority prior to the commissioning of the installations.
(5) Any modification to the emergency plan shall
require prior approval of or review by the competent authority.
34. Decommissioning of radiation installation:-
(1) When a radiation installation or radiation generating equipment ceases to
be in use, the employer shall ensure its decommissioning.
(2) No employer shall decommission a radiation
installation without the prior approval of the competent authority.
(3) The decommissioning plan shall take due
cognizance of disposal of radioactive wastes, recycling of materials, and
reuse of equipment and premises.
(4) The licensee shall comply with such directive
as may be issued by the competent authority to ensure adequate protection of
the persons in and around the decommissioned installation.
35. Offences and penalties:- Any person
who contravenes the provisions of these rules or any of the terms and
conditions of licence issued hereunder, shall be punishable as provided for
under the Act.
[F.No. AEA/30(1)/2002-ER]
V.P.
RAJA. Jt. Secy
|
Sunday, 15 June 2014
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