Employer Responsibilities

Employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace. This is especially important in settings where there is a likelihood of harmful radiation exposure. Some of the regulations set forth by OSHA in 29 CFR 1910.1096 deal with employer responsibilities.

No employer shall possess, use, or transfer sources of ionizing radiation in a way that will cause any individual in a restricted area to receive doses in excess of those listed below per calendar quarter (that is, over a three-month period):

• Whole body: head and trunk, active blood-forming organs, lens of eyes, gonads - 1.25 rem
• Hands and forearms, feet and ankles - 18.75 rem
• Skin of whole body - 7.50 rem

An employer may permit an individual in a restricted area to receive doses to the whole body greater than those listed in the list above under the following conditions:

• The dose to the whole body shall not exceed 3 rem during any calendar quarter.
• The dose to the whole body, when added to the accumulated occupational dose to the whole body, shall not exceed 5 (N-18) rem, where "N" equals the individual's age in years at his or her last birthday.
• The employer maintains adequate past and current exposure records showing that the addition of such a dose will not cause the individual to exceed the authorized amount.

No employer shall permit any employee who is under 18 years of age to receive in any period of one calendar quarter a dose in excess of 10 percent of the limits specified in the table.

The following are also regulations set forth by OSHA in 29 CFR 1910.1096:

• Employers may not possess, use, or transport radioactive material in a way that will cause any employee, within a restricted area, to be exposed to a harmful dose of airborne radioactive material.
• Employers must perform physical surveys and take measurements of radiation levels or concentrations of radioactive material that are present in the workplace.
• Employers have the following responsibilities to any individual working in or frequenting any portion of a radiation area:
  • Inform all individuals of the occurrence of radiation or radioactive materials in those radiation areas.
  • Instruct individuals on the safety problems associated with exposure to radiation or radioactive materials, and provide precautions or devices to minimize exposure.
  • Conspicuously post a current copy of the workplace provisions and a copy of the operating procedures applicable to work in those radiation areas in an area where employees may see it on the way to and from their place of employment.
  • Keep documents of workplace provisions and operating procedures available for employees to examine upon request.
• Employers may not dispose of radioactive material except by transfer to an authorized recipient or in a manner approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

To learn more about Ionizing Radiation visit our Ionizing Radiation Safety Online Training web page.