New Mexico Administrative Code › Title 20 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Chapter 3 - RADIATION PROTECTION › Part 15 - LICENSES AND RADIATION SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR IRRADIATORS › Section 20.3.15.1507 - ACCESS CONTROL

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 13, July 16, 2024
A. Each
				entrance to a radiation room at a panoramic irradiator must have a door or
				other physical barrier to prevent inadvertent entry of personnel if the sources
				are not in the shielded position. Product conveyer systems may serve as
				barriers as long as they reliably and consistently function as a barrier. It
				must not be possible to move the sources out of their shielded position if the
				door or barrier is open. Opening the door or barrier while the sources are
				exposed must cause the sources to return promptly to their shielded position.
				The personnel entrance door or barrier must have a lock that is operated by the
				same key used to move the source. The doors and barriers must not prevent any
				individual in the radiation room from leaving.
B. In addition, each entrance to a radiation
				room at a panoramic irradiator must have an independent backup access control
				to detect personnel entry while the sources are exposed. Detection of entry
				while the sources are exposed must cause the sources to return to their fully
				shielded position, and must also activate a visible and audible alarm to make
				the individual entering the room aware of the hazard. The alarm must also alert
				at least one other individual who is on-site of the entry. That individual
				shall be trained on how to respond to the alarm and prepared to promptly render
				or summon assistance.
C. A
				radiation monitor must be provided to detect the presence of high radiation
				levels in the radiation room of a panoramic irradiator before personnel entry.
				The monitor must be integrated with personnel access door locks to prevent room
				access when radiation levels are high. Attempted personnel entry while the
				monitor measures high radiation levels must activate the alarm described in
				Subsection B of 20.3.15.1507 NMAC. The monitor may be located in the entrance
				(normally referred to as the maze), but not in the direct radiation
				beam.
D. Before the sources move
				from their shielded position in a panoramic irradiator, the source control must
				automatically activate conspicuous visible and audible alarms to alert people
				in the radiation room that the sources will be moved from their shielded
				position. The alarms must give individuals enough time to leave the room before
				the sources leave the shielded position.
E. Each radiation room at a panoramic
				irradiator must have a clearly visible and readily accessible control that
				would allow an individual in the room to make the sources return to their fully
				shielded position.
F. Each
				radiation room of a panoramic irradiator must contain a control that prevents
				the sources from moving from the shielded position, unless the control has been
				activated and the door or barrier to the radiation room has been closed within
				a preset time after activation of the control.
G. Each entrance to the radiation room of a
				panoramic irradiator and each entrance to the area within the personnel access
				barrier of an underwater irradiator must be posted as required by 20.3.4.428
				NMAC. Radiation postings for panoramic irradiators must comply with the posting
				requirements of 20.3.4.428 NMAC, except that signs may be removed, covered, or
				otherwise made inoperative when the sources are fully shielded.
H. If the radiation room of a panoramic
				irradiator has roof plugs or other movable shielding, it must not be possible
				to operate the irradiator unless the shielding is in its proper location. This
				requirement may be met by interlocks that prevent operation if shielding is not
				placed properly or by an operating procedure requiring inspection of shielding
				before operating.
I. Underwater
				irradiators must have a personnel access barrier around the pool which must be
				locked to prevent access when the irradiator is not attended. Only operators
				and facility management may have access to keys to the personnel access
				barrier. There must be an intrusion alarm to detect unauthorized entry when the
				personnel access barrier is locked. Activation of the intrusion alarm must
				alert an individual (not necessarily onsite) who is prepared to respond or
				summon assistance.