Advice, guidelines and information

Radiation Protection Management Plan (RMP)

A Radiation Management Plan (RMP) is required to Possess prescribed radiation sources under Section 21 of the Radiation Protection Act.

The purpose of an RMP is to ensure that the practice, where radiation sources are used and stored, is:

• conducted safely and under the approved Code of Practice and licence conditions
• complies with the Radiation Protection Act and Radiation Protection Regulations.

RMP Templates

We have developed Radiation Management Plan templates to assist licence holders to develop an RMP for their respective practice(s).  Our RMP templates are based on the information that is required under Regulation 9 of the Radiation Protection Regulations 2016.

Licence holders must modify the RMP template(s) according to their practice or operation. Do not submit the RMP without reviewing it. Significant penalties may apply if you do not follow the approved RMP.

Regulatory inspections are carried out at a regular frequency based on the approved RMP. You must ensure that your practice operates under the approved RMP.

The RMP may be supported by practice protocols and procedures, which can be referenced and attached as an appendix in the RMP.

Staff involved with using prescribed radiation sources in a practice must read and understand the approved RMP.

The RMP will expire if there are significant changes with the practice or operation. This may include, but is not limited to, change in the scope of the operation, acquiring a different type of equipment and practice etc. The RMP must be re-submitted in such instances.

Access our RMP templates:

• Baggage X-ray RMP template
• Diagnostic and Interventional Imaging RMP template
• Portable Soil Moisture Density Gauges RMP template
• Veterinary Radiography RMP template
• Dental X-Ray Imaging RMP template
• Industrial Fixed Gauges RMP template
• Laser IPL Cosmetic RMP template

 

RMP Submissions

You may submit your RMP to us by email or post.  View our contact information

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) advice

Please visit the ARPANSA website links below for more information about:

• power lines
• mobile phone and NBN base stations
• mobile phone site information and EME reports
• sun protection
• ultraviolet radiation Index
• radon

Other important radiation protection information

• Download a laser pointer warning fact sheet
• Download Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare guide to reduction in radiation exposure to children and young people from CT scans

Reporting Radiation Incidents in Tasmania Guideline

Radiation incident means an incident adversely affecting, or likely to adversely affect, the environment or the health or safety of any person because of the emission of radiation. Radiation incident must be reported under Section 12 of the Radiation Protection Act.

This guideline has been prepared to assist licence holders to determine threshold for reporting radiation incidents. The guideline has listed a number common or typical incident scenarios that may occur at variety of practices or operations. However, there may be many other situations which cannot be predicted, and licence holder or Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) must use their own judgement to report those radiation incidents.

This guideline does not present incidents scenarios for Radiotherapy centres due to the fact that patients goes through significant assessment by Radiation Oncologist before, during and after their treatment. Medical Physicists and Radiation Therapists also plays a vital role in ensuring quality of treatment. However, it should be noted that Radiation incidents at Oncology centres may be significant, such as incorrect patient treatment volume, incorrect treatment planning, inadvertent exposure of staff and service technician during testing and calibration of Linear Accelerator and planning CT, fault with equipment or software etc.

It is the responsibility of the Chief Medical Physicist, licence holder or site RSO to report major incidents promptly, i.e. verbally as soon as possible and in writing within seven days of the incident.

Radiation incidents must be reported in the prescribed incident report form

Health Physicist from the Radiation Protection will assess each radiation incident, and is expected to provide feedback to licence holder for improvement and to reduce possibility of similar incidents in future.

Radiation incidents are expected to be reported to the Australian Radiation Incident Report Register (ARIR) at regular intervals. ARIR is the Australia's national database of all radiation related incidents. The purpose of the ARIR is to raise awareness on where, how and why radiation incidents and events occur, and how they can be best prevented.

Table 1- Example of Reportable Radiation Incidents

Practice Type	Equipment type	Nature of Radiation Incident
Medical Diagnostic Radiology – X-ray	Diagnostic x-ray, CT, Mammography, BMD, Fluoroscopy, Mini C-arm etc	Incorrect identification of patient Incorrect region of interest Incorrect modality Duplicate or un-necessary scan Incorrect imaging prescription by referrer Equipment failure during scan Unintended exposure of foetus (e.g patient or staff) Unintended exposure of staff or member of public
Medical Diagnostic Radiology – Nuclear Medicine	Nuclear Medicine CT, PET, SPECT, Gamma Camera	Incorrect identification of patient Incorrect region of interest Incorrect modality Incorrect imaging prescription by referrer Equipment failure; i.e. failure of scanner, injector or dose calibrator Misadministration - Incorrect injected dose, incorrect radioisotope, extravasations of radiopharmaceuticals. Spill of radioisotope Lost or unsecure Source Unintended exposure of staff or member of public
Dental Radiology	OPG, CBCT	Incorrect identification of patient Incorrect field of view (FOV) Incorrect modality ; Note: OPG or CBCT must not be used for circumstances where intra oral may provide adequate diagnostic information Duplicate or un-necessary scan
Dental Radiology	Intra oral	Licence holder should keep record of incorrect patient and incorrect FOV for review and feedback by Senior Dentist. These incidents do not need to be reported.
Portable soil moisture density gauge (PDMG)	Sealed sources	Theft or attempted theft of the PDMG during storage, use or transport Inadvertent exposure of staff while handling radioactive source Transport accidents Loss of source(s) Leakage or suspected leakage of sources
Industrial Radiography	Sealed sources X-ray	Theft or attempted theft of the industrial radiography source during storage, or transport Loss of sealed source Security breach at the storage facility Inadvertent exposure of member of public during on site radiography Inadvertent exposure of staff while handling radioactive source
Veterinary Radiology	X-ray Nuclear Medicine	Inadvertent exposure of staff while taking x-ray; i.e. exposure of hands and feet Inadvertent exposure of staff to LASER during treatment of an animal Spill of Nuclear Medicine sources
Cosmetic and Beauty Therapy	LASER - Class 3B and 4 IPL	Client treatment carried out without Fitzpatrick skin assessment. Contradictions or adverse reaction to treatment such as major skin burns or allergic reaction due to the cosmetic treatment with LASER or IPL. Eye damage to patient and staff due to reflection of beam onto eyes or due to the  inadequate and faulty protective eyewear. Inadvertent exposure of staff and member of public to LASER or IPL beam; e.g accidental entry to LASER/IPL room while treatment is going on; use of LASER/IPL in unregistered premises etc.
Surgical procedures, Dental and Veterinary Laser, Laser Therapy	LASER - Class 3B and 4	Plume inhalation by staff during surgical procedure Eye damage to patient and staff due to reflection of beam onto eyes or due to the  inadequate and faulty protective eyewear. Inadvertent exposure of staff and member of public; e.g. accidental entry to LASER room while treatment is going on; use of LASER in unregistered premises etc. Possession and Acquisition of LASER without obtaining appropriate licence.

Where to get more information

If you are having trouble locating information or a resource, please contact the Radiation Protection Unit