The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17) apply to any organisation undertaking work with radioactive materials or with equipment that generates radiation eg x-ray sets. The regulations can also apply to organisations working with materials that contain naturally occurring radioactivity, such as mineral sands.
In most cases these regulations require organisations working with ionising radiation to consult with a "suitable" Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA) with regard to what they need to do to comply with the law. A suitable Radiation Protection Adviser:
- is an individual, or corporate body, that meets the Health and Safety Executive criteria of competence, and
- has the necessary experience and expertise to advise on the organisation's uses of ionising radiation
With very few exceptions, organisations are required to formally appoint the RPA , for the purposes of ongoing consultation.
The RPA can be either an employee of the organisation or an external consultant; many organisations opt for the latter.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been recognised by HSE as an "RPA Body" . This status is underpinned by a strong team of individually certificated RPAs based at our three key locations in Oxfordshire, Leeds and Glasgow.