The Radioactive Material (Road Transport) Regulations 2002

PART IV U.K. GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO RADIATION PROTECTION, SAFETY PROGRAMMES AND INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC

Radiation protection programme U.K.

24.—(1) This regulation applies to every carrier, consignor and consignee involved in the transport of a consignment and in this regulation an “employee" of a carrier, consignor or consignee includes any person who is an agent and any other person of whose services that carrier, consignor or consignee makes use in the transport of a consignment.

(2) Every carrier, consignor and consignee must, as respect his employees, establish a radiation protection programme which—

(a) takes into account the nature and extent of the measures to be taken in respect of the magnitude and likelihood of radiation exposure, and

(b) adopts a structured and systematic approach (including consideration of the interfaces between road transport and other activities).

(3) A carrier, consignor and consignee will be regarded as meeting his obligations under paragraph (2)(a) if he carries out and adheres to the relevant provisions of Part II (general principles and procedures) of the Ionising Radiations Regulations (1999) M1 .

(4) Every carrier, consignor and consignee must—

(a) at suitable intervals (not exceeding 3 years) review and, where necessary, revise the radiation protection programme as respects his employees, such review taking into account any changes that have occurred in the transport of radioactive material to which the programme relates as well as any advances in technical knowledge and any material change to the assessment on which the programme was based;

(b) upon a written request made to him by the secretary of state, make his radiation protection programme, or any revision of it, available to the Secretary of State.

Marginal Citations

M1 S.I. 1999/3232.

Segregation of radioactive material U.K.

25.—(1) The obligations upon a carrier, a consignor and a consignee (as the case may be) during the transport of a consignment as regards the segregation of radioactive material are that packages, overpacks, containers and tanks must be segregated from—

(a) areas where persons (other than those referred to in sub-paragraph (c)) have regular access—

(i) in accordance with Table XII of Schedule 1; or

(ii) by a distance calculated to ensure members of the critical group in that area receive less than 1mSv per year;

(b) undeveloped photographic film and mailbags, in accordance with Table XIII of Schedule 1;

(c) workers in regularly occupied working areas, either—

(i) in accordance with Table XII of Schedule 1; or

(ii) by a distance calculated to ensure that workers in that area receive less than 5 mSv per year; and

(d) other dangerous goods in accordance with regulation 36 (segregation of consignments from other dangerous goods).

(2) In paragraph (1)—

• “critical group" means a group of members of the public which is reasonably homogeneous with respect to its exposure to a given radiation source and given exposure pathway and is typical of an individual receiving the highest effective dose by a given exposure pathway from the given source; and

• “workers" means any persons who work (whether full time, part-time or temporarily) for an employer and who have recognised rights and duties in relation to occupational radiation protection pursuant to the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999.

Information to the public about health protection measures U.K.

26.—(1) Every carrier, consignor and consignee carrying out the transport of a consignment must—

(a) ensure that any members of the public who are in an area in which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, they are likely to be affected by a radiological emergency arising from the undertaking of that carrier, consignor or consignee (as the case may be) are supplied, in the appropriate manner approved by the Secretary of State and without their having to request it, with at least the information set out in paragraph (2); and

(b) make that information publicly available, which includes endeavouring to enter into an agreement or arrangement with the local authority in the area referred to in sub-paragraph (a) for the dissemination by that authority of the information required to be supplied to members of the public in accordance with that sub-paragraph.

(2) The following is the information that is to be supplied and made available under this regulation—

(a) the basic facts about the radioactivity and its effects on persons and on the environment;

(b) the various types of radiological emergency possible and their consequences for the general public and the environment;

(c) the emergency measures envisaged to alert, protect and assist the general public in the event of the occurrence of a radiological emergency;

(d) appropriate information on action to be taken by the general public in the event of the occurrence of a radiological emergency; and

(e) the appropriate local authority responsible for implementing the emergency measures and action referred to in (c) and (d) above.

(3) In preparing the information to be supplied and made available under this regulation, the carrier, consignor or consignee shall—

(a) consult the Secretary of State, but shall remain responsible for the accuracy, completeness and form of the information supplied; and

(b) endeavour to enter into an agreement or arrangement with the local authority where his undertaking is situated with respect to the dissemination by that authority of the information to members of the public.

(4) The information supplied and made available under this regulation must be updated at regular intervals but, in any case, at least every 3 years and whenever significant changes to any of the matters mentioned in paragraph (2) take place; and when information is updated it must be supplied again in accordance with paragraph (2) and made publicly available.

(5) In this regulation—

• “radiological emergency" has the same meaning as in regulation 66 (interpretation);

• “undertaking" includes a business and also any activity carried on by a body of persons (whether corporate or incorporate).

Emergency response U.K.

27.  In the event of an accident or incident occurring during the transport of a consignment, the provisions of Part XII (radiological emergencies and intervention arrangements) shall have effect.