University of New South Wales - - OHS Hazards

The use of Radioactive Substances and Apparatus at UNSW is governed by NSW Radiation Control Act 1990 and the Radiation Control Regulation 2003.

Procedure Guidelines
For details see the UNSW Ionising Radiation procedure and Non Ionising Radiation procedure.

Research Funding

Research funding for projects involving ionising radiation requires completion of a Research Grant Project/Program Approval Form

Radiation Safety Committee
The Radiation Safety Committee(RSC) reviews applications of researchers who will be performing work involving radioactive isotopes or with class IIIB or IV lasers . Researchers need to complete a Project/Program Approval Form for review by RSC.

Radioactive Waste
Radioactive Waste cannot be removed from UNSW. It is either:

Stored in the school's radiation store until it has decayed to a level defined by Environment Protection Authority (<100Bq/g) when it can be removed as chemical waste, or
Transferred to the UNSW Radioactive Waste Store by contacting the Radiation Health and Safety Coordinator.

In both cases, radioactive waste is removed from laboratories by faxing either a Radioactive Waste Form or a Chemical Waste Form, depending on isotope activity, to the Radiation Health & Safety and Coordinator, OHS & WC Unit.

The Radioactivity Decay Reckoner calculates when radioactive waste will decay to levels (determined by the EPA) which will allow its removal by contractors as chemical waste.

TLDs
All staff and students using radioactive substances at UNSW will be issued with TLD's (Thermo Luminescent Devices) to monitor their exposure levels.

Accidents or Incidents
In the event of an incident involving radioactive isotopes or apparatus a UNSW Radiation Incident Report Supplementary Information form must be filled in.

In the event of a radioactive spill - procedures should be printed to a clearly legible size, laminated and placed in all laboratories where radiation work with gamma and beta emitting isotopes is carried out.

Radiation Safety Training
Radiation safety training is a compulsory requirement for all staff and students who are working with radioactive substances and apparatus. Contact the Radiation Health and Safety Coordinator (x52912) for the next available course. This course will be needed if applying for DEC Radiation Substances and/or Apparatus licence. All staff working with ionising radiation need this/these licences. [Information about applications for a DEC radiation licence is found in Appendix A of the Ionising Radiation Procedure

Dose Reports
Staff and students working with radioactive substances or apparatus are required by Radiation Control Act -1990 to receive their accumulated radiation dose rates before leaving the University.

These are forwarded to staff on leaving by HR and to students by e-mail on an annual update.

They can also be obtained by contacting Bob Armstrong the Radiation Health and Safety Coordinator (x52912) in the OHS & WC Unit .

Radiation Templates
A range of standard templates have been developed for personnel involved in ionising & non-ionising work to assist them in complying with all aspects of radiation safety. These templates have been designed as generic documents, and can be customised by staff for their local area use.