Radiation Protection

Under Irish legislation (Radiological Protection Act 1991 (Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2019 (IRR19) (S.I. No 30 of 2019)), every organisation involved in storing, using, transporting, or disposing of radioactive materials, irradiation apparatus or other sources of ionising radiation, must hold an appropriate licence. To this end, University College Dublin is licenced by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Radiological Protection, in accordance with statutory requirements.

Licensing Requirements

In accordance with legislative requirements, the University has an appointed (opens in a new window)Radiological Protection Officer (RPO), whose duties include advising the university on all matters relating to radiological protection and liaising with the competent authorities for radiation protection.

In addition, each school undertaking work with ionising radiation sources, has an appointed radiation protection supervisor to supervise radiation protection in their school and to liaise with the RPO on matters of radiation protection.

The University’s licence details all locations where ionising radiation sources are used, quantity limits, and all other conditions of their use, storage, and disposal. It is, therefore, a requirement that every School compiles, at the end of each year, a complete list of all radioactive substances which have entered or left the School since the previous report, and this must be sent to the university’s RPO.

Registering work with Ionising Radiation Sources

Registration is required for work involving possible exposure to ionising radiation from any of the following:

(i) sealed or unsealed radioactive substances

(ii) equipment producing useful beams of x-rays (e.g., for X-ray crystallography);

(iii) standard laboratory equipment (e.g., high-voltage units, cathode-ray oscilloscopes) operating at potentials exceeding 30 kV;

(iv) experimental apparatus producing non-useful X-rays (e.g., electron microscopes, image converters) operating at potentials above 5 kV.

Training

Radiation safety training is required for all personnel using radioactive materials or radiation-
producing equipment at University College Dublin and affiliated institutions. 

Radiation Workers

Every radiation worker is required to complete the University Radiation Safety Course, which
encompasses a 2-hour online Radiation Safety Training in advance of undertaking any work with radiation materials. This training is available online through Brightspace, see details on the course content and accessing the training here and is valid for 4 years.

In addition, further training tailored to the specific work area is necessary. The coordination of this additional training will be managed by the local Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS).

Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS)
RPS training is delivered by the UCD RPO or RPA. All appointed RPS’s must attend this training on appointment and refresher training every year thereafter. 

Details on the course content and accessing the training are available here.

HASS Training

All radiation workers working with a HASS source must also complete HASS training with the UCD RPO or RPA before work commences and annually thereafter. 

For further information and advice on radiation safety contact the RPO by emailing (opens in a new window)radiationsafety@ucd.ie.

Radiation Safety Committee

The UCD Radiation Safety Committee oversees the use of sources of ionising radiation in UCD.  The Committee meets three times a year, and in addition, if there are urgent issues which may arise.  All work with sources of ionising radiation in UCD must have the prior approval of the UCD Radiation Protection Officer (RPO) and, where the RPO considers it necessary, the prior approval of the UCD Radiation Safety Committee.