Virginia Administrative Code › Title 12 - HEALTH › Agency 5 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Chapter 481 - VIRGINIA RADIATION PROTECTION REGULATIONS › Part XII - Licensing and Radiation Safety Requirements for Irradiators › Article 3 - Design and Performance Requirements for Irradiators › Section 12VAC5-481-2730 - Access control

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. Each entrance
					 to a radiation room at a panoramic irradiator shall have a door or other
					 physical barrier to prevent inadvertent entry of personnel if the sources are
					 not in the shielded position. Product conveyor systems may serve as barriers as
					 long as they reliably and consistently function as a barrier. It shall 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
					 shall cause the sources to return promptly to their shielded position. The
					 personnel entrance door or barrier shall have a lock that is operated by the
					 same key used to move the sources. The doors and barriers shall not prevent any
					 individual in the radiation room from leaving.
B. In addition, each entrance to a radiation
					 room at a panoramic irradiator shall have an independent backup access control
					 to detect personnel entry while the sources are exposed. Detection of entry
					 while the sources are exposed shall cause the sources to return to their fully
					 shielded position and shall also activate a visible and audible alarm to make
					 the individual entering the room aware of the hazard. The alarm shall also
					 alert at least one other individual who is onsite 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 shall be provided to detect the presence of high radiation
					 levels in the radiation room of a panoramic irradiator before personnel entry.
					 The monitor shall 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, shall activate the alarm described in
					 subsection B of this section. 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
					 shall automatically activate conspicuous visible and audible alarms to alert
					 personnel in the radiation room that the sources will be moved from their
					 shielded position. The alarms shall give individuals enough time to leave the
					 room before the sources leave the shielded position.
E. Each radiation room at a panoramic
					 irradiator shall 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 shall 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 shall be posted as required by
					 12VAC5-481-860.
					 Radiation postings for panoramic irradiators shall comply with the posting
					 requirements of
					 12VAC5-481-860,
					 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 shall 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 shall have a
					 personnel access barrier around the pool which shall 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 shall
					 be an intrusion alarm to detect unauthorized entry when the personnel access
					 barrier is locked. Activation of the intrusion alarm shall alert an individual
					 (not necessarily on site) who is prepared to respond or summon
					 assistance.
Statutory Authority: §
													32.1-229
						  of the Code of Virginia.