New Zealand Legislation: Regulations

11 General precautions to be taken by licensee

• (1) Every licensee shall—

  • (a) Take all reasonable steps to ensure that every person who uses any radioactive material or any irradiating apparatus for which the licensee is responsible complies with the provisions of these regulations and with any further condition to which his licence is subject:

  • (b) Fully instruct every such person regarding the radiation hazards of his work, and the precautions to be taken in relation thereto:

  • (c) Cause copies of the Act, these regulations, and any conditions to which his licence is subject to be placed in a position where they may conveniently be read by all such persons:

  • (d) Take all reasonable steps to ensure that no person is employed on work with any radioactive material or any irradiating apparatus while he is suffering from a mental or physical disability that may render him a hazard to himself or others:

  • (e) Provide, or procure the provision of, all articles and materials, including adequate structural shielding, necessary for the purpose of satisfying the requirements of these regulations:

  • (f) Take all reasonable steps to prevent any unauthorised person from tampering with any radioactive material or any irradiating apparatus for which he is responsible:

  • (g) Take all reasonable steps to prevent the loss, or the release beyond his control, of any radioactive material for which he is responsible, otherwise than in accordance with regulation 14 of these regulations or the terms of his licence or as permitted by the Director-General.

  (2) In the event of the loss, or the release beyond the control of the licensee, of any radioactive material, otherwise than in accordance with regulation 14 of these regulations or the terms of his licence or as permitted by the Director-General, the licensee shall forthwith—

  • (a) Take all reasonable steps to recover the material, to issue such warnings as he considers appropriate, to minimise the radiation dose that any person might receive in consequence of that loss or release, and to reduce as far as possible any resulting radioactive contamination; and

  • (b) Estimate the dose equivalent that any person might receive in consequence of that loss or release; and

  • (c) Either—

    • (i) If he estimates that any such dose equivalent exceeds the reference dose equivalent, as soon as practicable notify the Director-General of that loss or release, of the action he has taken pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subclause and the result of such action, of his estimate of the dose equivalent received by any person who might have been affected by the loss or release, of any measurements on which such estimate is based, and of any other measurements made for the purpose of controlling or evaluating radiation hazards; or

    • (ii) If he estimates that no such dose equivalent exceeds the reference dose equivalent, within 7 days of the occurrence of that loss or release, notify the Director-General as aforesaid.