The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017

Investigation and notification of overexposure

26.—(1) Where an employer suspects or has been informed that any person is likely to have received an overexposure as a result of work with ionising radiation carried out by that employer, that employer must make an immediate investigation to determine whether there are circumstances which show beyond reasonable doubt that no overexposure could have occurred and, unless this is shown, the employer must—

(a) as soon as practicable notify the suspected overexposure to—

(i) the appropriate authority;

(ii) in the case of an employee of some other employer, that other employer; and

(iii) in the case of the employer’s own employee, the relevant doctor;

(b) as soon as practicable take reasonable steps to notify the suspected overexposure to the person affected;

(c) make or arrange for such investigation of the circumstances of the exposure and an assessment of any relevant dose received as is necessary to determine, so far as is reasonably practicable, the measures, if any, required to be taken to prevent a recurrence of such overexposure; and

(d) immediately notify the results of the investigation and assessment referred to in sub-paragraph (c) to the persons and authorities mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) and must—

(i) in the case of the employer’s employee, immediately notify that employee of the results of the investigation and assessment; or

(ii) in the case of a person who is not the employer’s employee, where the investigation has shown that that person has received an overexposure, take all reasonable steps to notify that person of their overexposure.

(2) An employer who makes any investigation pursuant to paragraph (1) must make a report of that investigation and must—

(a) in respect of an immediate investigation, keep that report or a copy of the report for at least 2 years from the date on which it was made; and

(b) in respect of an investigation made pursuant to paragraph (1)(c), keep that report or a copy of the report until the person to whom the record relates has or would have attained the age of 75 years but in any event for at least 30 years from the date on which it was made.

(3) Where the person who received the overexposure is an employee who has a dose record, the employee’s employer must arrange for the assessment of the dose received to be entered into that dose record.

(4) In this regulation “appropriate authority” means—

(a) in relation to overexposure as a result of work carried out on nuclear premises, the ONR;

(b) otherwise, the Executive.