Registration of radiation workers

Registering employees, students or visitors to work with ionising radiation

How to register a new radiation worker has recently changed

The paper-based registration form has been replaced with a new online form.

Please contact your department SRPS or the project team at rmp@it.ox.ac.uk for more information.

 

Registering as a radiation worker authorises a person to work with ionising radiation.

A registration form must be completed so there is a record of who the person is, what they will work with and where they intend to work.

After registration to work with ionising radiation, the worker must also attend a suitable training course.

Except for a limited number of work practices, every person who intends to work with ionising radiation must be registered.

No persons other than registered radiation workers are permitted to undertake such work.

Information about the registration process

Any student, staff, or visitor who will work with ionising radiation must be registered through the University’s Radiation Management System, Odyssey. The department's senior radiation protection supervisor (SRPS) should be contacted to discuss the work and start the online application process. The registration form requires five stages of completion and approval:

  1. Radiation worker
  2. RPS
  3. SRPS
  4. Academic line manager
  5. Safety Office

A separate registration form must be completed for each University department where the applicant intends to work with ionising radiation. This is necessary because the declarations in the process relate to the specific radiation protection arrangements in that department. Find further guidance to support your use of Odyssey, including a range of training videos and a detailed guidance document, on our dedicated page.

The SRPS should initiate the registration process in Odyssey

 

The department SRPS should be informed of any new registrations for working with ionising radiation within the department. Following initial discussions, they can begin the registration process by sending the online registration form for completion.

This section can only be completed by the registration applicant

 

The Radiation Worker section of the form collects the required information about the individual who will be working with ionising radiation.

Notice to Ionising Radiation Workers: The University is required to inform every radiation worker about the potential hazards and risks associated with their work. This is achieved through mandatory radiation safety information, instruction, and training. Additionally, each registering radiation worker must sign the declaration on the registration form.

Declaration: By signing the declaration in Stage 1 of the form, the worker confirms they have been informed about and understand the risks involved in working with ionising radiation. They also agree to fully comply with the University’s radiation protection measures and legal requirements.

Further guidance to complete Stage 1

Classified persons: classified persons are those persons who may receive more significant radiation exposures (more than 3/10ths of any legal dose limit e.g. 6 mSv body dose or 150 mSv extremity dose) and should therefore be subject to more stringent radiation safety controls. Such controls include routine medical surveillance carried out by the University’s appointed doctor. All classified persons are required to be appointed in writing by their employer. Therefore, unless an applicant has received such a written appointment, they are not a classified person. Only a very small number of University activities would warrant the classification of workers, but departments must enquire of the status (classified or not?) of any visitor or collaborator intending to work with ionising radiation on Oxford University premises.

This section of the form should be completed by the Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS)

The RPS is responsible for supervising the work to which this registration relates. This is to ensure that it's carried out in accordance with the requirements of the departmental local rules.

This includes instances when the work is conducted by your department but takes place in another department’s buildings/facilities.

 

In Stage 2, the RPS will detail the specifics of the work that the new worker will undertake in the department. If the worker will be supervised by more than one RPS (e.g. an x-ray RPS and an open source RPS) within the same department, a new registration form should be completed.

For future registration of additional work types, the New Work Type form in Odyssey should be used.

Declaration: By signing the declaration in Stage 2 of the form, the RPS agrees to ensure that the registering person has received the requisite training (including core knowledge, relevant training modules, and any department-specific and task-related training) before commencing work.

This section is completed by the Senior Radiation Protection Supervisor (SRPS)

The SRPS is responsible for the day-to-day coordination of radiation protection arrangements within the department.

 

Declaration: By signing the declaration in Stage 3 of the form, the SRPS accepts the applicant as a radiation worker in their department and agrees to ensure that local supervisory arrangements meet University and legal requirements. 

This section should be completed by the radiation worker's academic line manager or supervisor (ALM)

The ALM must ensure that any staff they are responsible for understand their responsibilities according to this policy statement and the departmental radiation safety arrangements. 

Additionally, they must ensure that only competent staff who have received appropriate training undertake work with ionising radiation. They must also justify any such work by weighing the scientific benefits against the associated radiation risks.

 

Declaration: By signing the declaration in Stage 4, the ALM accepts that the application to work with ionising radiation is justified. 

Further guidance to complete Stage 4

This section is completed by a member of the Safety Office

 

The Safety Office will confirm the registration form has been completed satisfactorily.

The radiation worker, RPS and SRPS will be notified via email once the application has been completed and authorised.

Once the registration period is complete, and before work with ionising radiation commences, the department must ensure that the requirements of the University Safety Policy S1/12 - Ionising Radiation have been satisfied and that departmental radiation protection measures are sufficient to achieve the necessary exposure restriction.

Maintenance and update of radiation worker details: To ensure the University maintains accurate records of all radiation workers working at the University, the SRPS is responsible for ensuring the department’s radiation worker records are regularly reviewed and maintained. Any worker registrations that have ended should be updated in Odyssey promptly.

Previously registered workers: Individuals who have previously been registered but have subsequently been de-registered (for any reason) must complete the registration process as above to re-register. The SRPS can view the worker’s record to determine their status and the work types they are, or have been, registered for. 

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