Occupational Exposure - Ionising Radiations Regulations Occupational exposure is the principal objective of the Ionising Radiations Regulations ( IRRs ). The first regulations relating to ionising radiations were made under the old Factories Acts in 1968 and 1969 , but these did not apply to premises not deemed to be factories . When the Health and Safety at Work etc . Act became law in 1974 , a revised set of IRRs was developed to sit under it . They were introduced in 1985 following the publication of ICRP26 , and revised in 1999 following ICRP60 . This introduced the concept of Annual Limits on Intake and a requirement to sum internal and external doses . Prior to that the external dose limit had been 50 mSv per year , and the internal dose limit was the Maximum Permissible Body Burden .
The current IRRs were introduced in 2017 , and follow ICRP103 . While there were significant changes between the 1985 and 1999 regulations , the current iteration is largely an evolution with some notable exceptions . These include a much lower limit for eye dose which had already been introduced de facto before the regulations were updated .
Nationally , SRP engaged directly with Government and the HSE in the development of IRR17 , principally through a working group of its Legislation and Standards Committee . As ever , the process is cyclical and ICRP has started to develop its next set of Recommendations . In support of this , SRP has established a working group to monitor and consult with ICRP ( through the International Radiation Protection Association ( IRPA )).
Public Exposure - Environmental Legislation Although early controls on radioactive substances were introduced in the 1940s , the first comprehensive legislation in the UK to regulate the keeping and use of radioactive material and the disposal of radioactive waste was The Radioactive Substances Act 1960 ( RSA60 ). The Radioactive Substances Act
1993 ( RSA93 ) replaced RSA60 , consolidating various related enactments with a few corrections and minor improvements . Steve Chandler reviewed the development of this Act through to the early part of this century in an article in Journal of Radiological
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Protection .
The High-activity Sealed Radioactive Sources and Orphan Sources Regulations ( HASS Regulations ) were introduced in 2005 , largely by amending RSA93 . These placed additional requirements on the management of highactivity sealed sources , introduced protective counter-terrorism security measures and set out requirements for the management of orphan sources .
RSA60 and RSA93 allowed exemptions from registration or authorisation for some activities via Exemption Orders . In 2011 , the 21 Exemption Orders in force , many dating from the 1960s , were reviewed and consolidated into a single Exemption Order enacted separately for England and Wales , Scotland and Northern Ireland .
RSA93 and the HASS Regulations were revoked for England and Wales and replaced with The Environmental Permitting ( England and Wales ) Regulations 2010 ( EPR 2010 ), and the revised Exemption Order became part of EPR in 2011 . In 2018 , RSA93 was replaced in Scotland by The Environmental Authorisations ( Scotland ) Regulations 2018 ( EASR ) and the Exemption Order and HASS Regulations became part of EASR . RSA93 , the Exemption Order and HASS Regulations still apply in Northern Ireland .
Although the different parts of the UK have different legislation , the general aims of limiting public exposure and protecting the environment from the harmful effects of radioactive substances are the same . In contrast to the regulatory regime for occupational exposure , the principle of regulating public exposure and radioactivity in the environment is one of authorisation , whereby operators must comply with
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Chandler S , Radioactive waste policy and legislation : 50 years on from the 1960 Act , J . Radiol . Prot ., 31 ( 2011 ) 309 – 317
12 Radiation Protection Today www . srp-rpt . uk