Radiation Legislation & Duties
The UK regulation which controls exposure to ionising radiation in the workplace.
What is the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17)?
This type of detector produces light when radiation interacts with its crystal.
What is a scintillation detector?
A radioactive source where the material is permanently sealed inside a capsule is known as this type of source.
What is a sealed source?
This air monitoring device is commonly used during short‑term tasks to assess airborne contamination levels.
What is a portable air sampler?
Radiation monitoring is carried out to detect, measure, or confirm the presence of this
What is ionising radiation?
This role ensures local rules are followed on a day‑to‑day basis in controlled areas.
Who is the Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS)?
This detector type measures radiation by collecting electrical charge produced in a gas.
What is an ionisation chamber?
This number on a transport package indicates the radiation level at one metre from the package.
What is the Transport Index (TI)?
This air monitoring device is commonly used to assess exposure to naturally occurring radioactive gas in buildings.
What is a radon monitor?
Radiation monitoring is used to help ensure this remains below legal limits.
What is radiation dose?
This regulator enforces compliance with nuclear safety and radiation protection legislation.
Who is the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)?
In gas‑filled detectors, this effect allows a small ionisation event to produce a larger detectable signal.
What is gas amplification?
Once radioactive material is no longer in use, it becomes this type of material.
What is radioactive waste?
This type of air monitor provides real‑time indication and alarms if airborne activity increases.
What is a continuous air monitor (CAM)?
This unit is commonly used to express radiation dose rather than radioactive decay.
What is the sievert (Sv)?
This document must be followed by everyone working in a controlled area.
What are Local Rules?
This detector relies on gas amplification to produce a large pulse for each radiation event.
What is a Geiger‑Müller detector?
Spent nuclear fuel is likely to be classified as this type of waste
What is High Level Waste (HLW)?
It is defined as radioactive particles or gas suspended in air
What is airborne contamination?
Counts recorded by a detector cannot be directly compared to activity without this process.
What is calibration?
This ICRP‑recommended principle, written into IRR17, requires that no radiation practice is adopted unless it produces a net benefit.
What is justification?
Compared to ionisation chambers, this detector uses higher voltage, increasing sensitivity but reducing dose accuracy.
What is a Geiger‑Müller detector?
This technique is commonly used when radionuclides cannot be easily detected using gamma spectrometry alone.
What is mass spectrometry?
These type of samplers work by drawing air through vials of liquid which trap the radioactive gas through chemical processes. The vials are then removed and scintillation analysed.
This accounts for variations such as radiation type, monitor positioning and equipment efficiency, and links net counts from a calibrated monitor to true dose or activity.
What is a conversion factor?