New Zealand Legislation: Regulations

19 Action to be taken in event of over exposure

• (1) Every person who has reason to believe that any person has been exposed to radiation exceeding that permitted under subclause (2), or (where applicable) subclause (3), of regulation 18 shall forthwith report the circumstances to the person who is licensed to use the radioactive material or the irradiating apparatus that gave rise to the exposure, or (if unable to do so) to the Director-General.

  (2) When a licensee has reason to believe that any person has, in any period of 1 year, received from a radioactive material, or from an irradiating apparatus, for which the licensee is responsible irradiation giving a dose equivalent exceeding the reference dose equivalent, he shall forthwith inform that person and the Director-General, and shall supply the Director-General with all pertinent information.

  (3) When such licensee has reason to believe that the dose equivalent referred to in subclause (2) exceeds 10 times the reference dose equivalent, he shall, as soon as he is aware that such exposure can be presumed to have occurred, make available to that person a medical examination performed by an approved medical practitioner, such examination to be primarily for the detection of any effects that might result from such exposure.

  (4) Further medical examination shall be made available to that person at such subsequent times as the approved medical practitioner may advise or the Director-General may require.

  (5) Where the licensee interprets the relevant radiation dose information in accordance with the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP Publication 26) the dose equivalent limits as there defined shall be substituted for the reference dose equivalent.

  (6) On receipt of the information required under subclause (1) or subclause (2), the Director-General may direct that a medical examination be made available to the person so exposed and the licensee shall forthwith comply with that direction.

  (7) Any medical practitioner making an examination pursuant to subclause (3) or subclause (5) shall report the result thereof in writing to the licensee who made the examination available and the person examined, and shall forthwith send a copy of his report to the Director-General.

  (8) The Director-General may appoint a competent person to investigate the circumstances under which any over exposure to radiation is thought to have occurred and to make recommendations as to the prevention of any recurrence.

  (9) Nothing in this regulation shall apply in any case where the dose of radiation—

  • (a) is received as a necessary part of medical treatment or diagnosis; and

  • (b) is permitted by the terms of a licence—

  and is administered by the person licensed to use the radioactive material or the irradiating apparatus from which the dose is derived, or by a person acting under the instructions of that licensee, in accordance with the terms of the licence.