Radiation Protection Regulations 2026

Radiation Protection Regulations 2026

4 May 2026

I, the Governor in and over the State of Tasmania and its Dependencies in the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Executive Council, make the following regulations under the Radiation Protection Act 2005.

These regulations may be cited as the Radiation Protection Regulations 2026.

These regulations take effect on 24 May 2026.

In these regulations –

Act means the Radiation Protection Act 2005;

ambient dose equivalent has the same meaning as in the document entitled "Quantities and Units in Radiation Protection Dosimetry" published by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements as ICRU Report 51 in 1993;

ambient dose equivalent rate means the ambient dose equivalent measured in joules of energy per kilogram per hour;

approved disposal site means an area of land or place approved, for the disposal of radioactive materials, by both – the Director, within the meaning of the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994; and the local authority;

approved radiation safety officer means a person specified as the radiation safety officer in an approved radiation management plan;

ARPANSA means that part of the Commonwealth department responsible for the administration of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 of the Commonwealth that is known as ARPANSA or the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency;

AS means a standard published by Standards Australia as amended or substituted from time to time;

AS/NZS means a standard published jointly by Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand as amended or substituted from time to time;

carrier means a person, government department, government agency or government authority, undertaking the transport of radioactive material by any means;

CEO of ARPANSA means the Chief Executive Officer of ARPANSA appointed under section 45 of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 of the Commonwealth;

consignor means any person, government department, government agency or government authority that – prepares a consignment of radioactive material for transport; and is named as consignor in the transport documents;

directional dose equivalent has the same meaning as in the document entitled "Quantities and Units in Radiation Protection Dosimetry" published by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements as ICRU Report 51 in 1993;

directional dose equivalent rate means the directional dose equivalent measured in joules of energy per kilogram per hour;

Disposal Code means the Code for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste by the User, Radiation Protection Series C-6 (2018), published by the CEO of ARPANSA, as amended from time to time;

domestic smoke alarm means a smoke alarm that – is designed for use for domestic purposes; and contains no more than 37 kilobecquerels of americium-241; and complies with AS 3786-2023;

Dose Coefficients Document means the Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides publication Parts 1 (ICRP Publication 130), 2 (ICRP Publication 134), 3 (ICRP Publication 137), 4 (ICRP Publication 141) and 5 (ICRP Publication 151), published by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, as amended or substituted from time to time;

effective dose, in relation to any human organ or human tissue that is exposed to ionising radiation, means a dose for the organ or tissue that – takes into account the type of radiation involved and the radiological sensitivities of the organs and tissues irradiated; and is calculated in accordance with the Planned Exposure Code;

equivalent dose, in relation to any human organ or human tissue that is exposed to ionising radiation, means a measure of the dose for the organ or tissue that – takes into account the type of radiation involved; and is calculated in accordance with the Planned Exposure Code;

excepted package means a package that complies with the conditions and specifications set out for excepted packages in the International Regulations;

external effective dose, in relation to a dose of radiation received by a person, means the total of the weighted equivalent doses for all the organs and tissues of the person as a result of exposure of the organs and tissues to radiation emitted from an ionising radiation source external to the person's body;

Industrial Radiography Code means the Code of Radiation Protection Requirements for Industrial Radiography Radiation Protection Series C-4 (2018), published by the CEO of ARPANSA, as amended or substituted from time to time;

internal effective dose, in relation to a dose of radiation received by a person, means the effective dose from a radionuclide inhaled, ingested or introduced into the person's body calculated in accordance with the Dose Coefficients Document;

International Regulations means the Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material (2018), Specific Safety Requirements No. SSR-6 (Rev. 1), published by the International Atomic Energy Agency as adopted by the Safe Transport Code, as amended or substituted from time to time;

medical exposure means – exposure of a person to radiation received as a – treated person; or volunteer in medical research; or exposure received as a consequence of assisting a treated person if – the person assisting the treated person is aware of the exposure and accepts any associated risks; and the exposure is not occupational exposure;

natural background exposure– see regulation 4;

occupational exposure, of a person to ionising radiation, means the exposure of the person to the ionising radiation in the course of the person's work while the person is directly involved in the carrying out of a radiation practice, other than – natural background exposure to ionising radiation, unless that exposure is directly attributable to carrying out the radiation practice; or medical exposure to ionising radiation; or public exposure to ionising radiation;

package means the packaging, together with its radioactive contents, as presented for transport;

packaging means the assembly of components necessary to enclose the radioactive contents completely;

Planned Exposure Code means the Code for Radiation Protection in Planned Exposure Situations, Radiation Protection Series C-1 (Rev. 1) (2020), published by the CEO of ARPANSA, as amended or substituted from time to time;

public exposure, of a person to ionising radiation, means the exposure of the person to the ionising radiation, other than – medical exposure to ionising radiation; or natural background exposure to ionising radiation; or occupational exposure to ionising radiation;

radioactive contents, of a package, means the radioactive material together with any contaminated solids, liquids and gases within the packaging;

register means the register of authorities required to be kept by the Director of Public Health under section 82 of the Act;

relevant tritium device means a gaseous tritium light device that – contains less than 74 gigabecquerels of tritium; and is used for safety purposes;

Safe Transport Code means the Code for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, Radiation Protection Series C-2 (Rev. 1) (2019), published by the CEO of ARPANSA, as amended or substituted from time to time;

smoke alarm means a combined smoke detector and audible alarm device that is designed to sound an alarm when it detects smoke in the area in which it is located;

smoke detector means a device that is designed to detect the presence of particles or aerosols produced by combustion;

total effective dose, for a person for a period, means the total of the external effective dose and internal effective dose received by the person during the period;

unsealed radioactive material means radioactive material that is neither permanently sealed in a capsule, nor closely bonded and in a solid form;

vessel has the same meaning as in the Marine and Safety Authority Act 1997;

weighted equivalent dose, in relation to a human organ or human tissue that is exposed to radiation, means the product of – the tissue weighting factor, calculated in accordance with the Planned Exposure Code; and the equivalent dose for the organ or tissue.

In these regulations, natural background exposure, of a person to ionising radiation, means the exposure of the person to a source of ionising radiation that occurs naturally in the environment.

For the purposes of subregulation (1), radiation that occurs naturally in the environment includes – radiation from potassium-40 in the body; and cosmic radiation at the surface of the earth; and unmodified concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in most raw materials.

In these regulations, natural background exposure does not include exposure to radiation that – is directly attributable to the carrying out of a radiation practice; or may have a harmful effect on persons working in an industry, or business, where those persons may be exposed to that ionising radiation.

In this regulation – an appropriate board includes a Board established under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Tasmania).

For the purposes of section 21(2)(a), (b) and (c) of the Act, the following are prescribed criteria:whether a person specified in the application as likely to be dealing with the radiation source has adequate training in radiation protection measures; whether a person specified in the application as likely to be dealing with the radiation source has experience and qualifications relevant to dealing with the radiation source to be conducted by the person; whether a person specified in the application as likely to be dealing with the radiation source is licensed or registered with, or has an authority issued by, an appropriate board in Tasmania that is relevant to the person's profession and role in the radiation practice; whether any of the following persons has been convicted of an offence that the Director of Public Health considers relevant, whether in Tasmania or elsewhere:the applicant; a person specified in the application as likely to be dealing with the radiation source; if the applicant is a body corporate, a director or person concerned in the management of the body corporate; if the applicant is a partnership, a partner of the partnership; whether any of the following persons has had any licence, registration, accreditation or other authorisation relating to any dealing with a radiation source revoked, whether in Tasmania or elsewhere:the applicant; a person specified in the application as likely to be dealing with the radiation source; if the applicant is a body corporate, a director or person concerned in the management of the body corporate; if the applicant is a partnership, a partner of the partnership.

In this regulation – ISO Standard means a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization, as amended or substituted from time to time; overpack has the meaning given in Section II, paragraph 230 of the International Regulations.

For the purposes of section 17(1)(a)(i) of the Act, the following are prescribed specifications relating to sealed source capsules used for industrial radiography:the capsules must – meet the requirements of ISO Standard 2919:2012, as expressed in table 3 of that ISO Standard; or be otherwise designed and constructed so that the radioactive material remains enclosed within the capsule so as to prevent escape of the radioactive material during normal use and in the event of an accident; the design of the capsules must have current unilateral approval as special form radioactive material, as required by paragraph 803 of the International Regulations.

For the purposes of section 17(1)(a)(ii) of the Act, the following are prescribed specifications relating to an exposure container for a sealed source used for industrial radiography, other than a sealed source used for an x-ray crawler control source:the exposure container must comply with the relevant requirements specified in the Industrial Radiography Code; the exposure container must – have current unilateral approval as a Type B(U) package as required by paragraph 808 of the International Regulations; or be transported in an overpack that has been approved by the Director of Public Health.

For the purposes of section 17(2) of the Act, the following are prescribed specifications:a place where any radioactive material is usually or primarily stored must – be firmly constructed of durable materials; and be able to resist fire and unauthorised entry; and be kept locked, except if the radioactive material is being put into storage or removed from storage; and have a clear sign, in accordance with AS 1319:1994, on the outside of the place incorporating the word "caution" and a symbol warning of the radiation hazard contained in the place; and have sufficient shielding to protect persons from radiation exposure from the radiation source stored or used in the radiation place; and not be situated near to explosives, combustible or corrosive materials, photographic or X-ray film, areas that are subject to flooding, or other natural or man-made hazards; and if unsealed radioactive materials are stored or used at the place, comply with the design requirements of AS/NZS 2982.1:2010; and if the radioactive materials stored or used at the place are to be used for industrial radiography, comply with the relevant requirements specified in the Industrial Radiography Code; a place where any radiation apparatus is usually or primarily used must – have a clear sign, in accordance with AS 1319:1994, on the outside of the place incorporating the word "caution" and a symbol warning of the radiation hazard contained in the place; and have sufficient shielding to protect persons from radiation exposure when the apparatus is in use; and if the radiation apparatus is to be used for industrial radiography, comply with the relevant requirements specified in the Industrial Radiography Code.

A certificate of compliance is valid for the following period:

for an ionising radiation apparatus used for medical diagnosis, other than a mammography unit, bone densitometry unit or ionising radiation apparatus used for dentistry, 2 years;

for a mammography unit, one year;

for a bone densitometry unit, 4 years;

for an ionising radiation apparatus used for dentistry, 4 years;

for an ionising radiation apparatus used for medical therapy, 2 years;

for an ionising radiation apparatus used for a purpose other than medical diagnosis, medical therapy or industrial radiography, 4 years;

for an ionising radiation apparatus used for industrial radiography, 2 years;

for a radiation source that is a sealed source, 2 years;

for a non-ionising radiation apparatus, 4 years.

A certificate of compliance may be renewed at any time within the period of 6 weeks immediately before its expiry.

If a certificate of compliance is renewed, the renewal takes effect on the expiry of the original certificate.

For the purposes of section 45 of the Act, the following are prescribed changes in circumstances for an authority:

a change in the holder's postal or email address;

a change in the holder's business name;

if the holder is a partnership, a change in the partners of the partnership;

if the holder is a body corporate, a change in the directors or chief executive officer of the body corporate;

if the holder of an authority is changed by a transfer of the authority in accordance with regulation 62.

In this regulation – radiation incident means an incident adversely affecting, or likely to adversely affect, the environment or the health or safety of any person because of the emission of radiation; radiation safety officer means a person specified as the radiation safety officer in the proposed radiation management plan.

For the purposes of section 21(2)(e) of the Act, the proposed radiation management plan for any radiation practice must contain the following information:a brief description of the type and scope of the radiation practice; a list of the radiation sources dealt with in the radiation practice; an assessment of the potential hazards from the radiation sources dealt with in the radiation practice; details of the environment likely to be exposed to radiation during the radiation practice; the radiation principles, work practices (including quality-assurance procedures) and equipment (including personal radiation monitors) used to ensure that radiation exposure of persons or the environment is as low as is reasonably achievable during typical types of work carried out within the radiation practice; details of the classes of persons likely to be exposed to radiation during the radiation practice, including – children; and pregnant women; and volunteers in biomedical research; and persons exempt from section 13(1) of the Act, as specified in Part 4; the maximum dose of radiation it is anticipated that a person of a class of persons specified in paragraph (f) will receive while the radiation principles, work practices and equipment referred to in paragraph (e) are being used, and the action to be taken if those doses are exceeded; details of a course of study or training that – is being or will be undertaken by a person who is expected to be dealing with a radiation source in the radiation practice; and requires, as part of that course of study or training, the person to deal with the radiation source in the radiation practice; the name, qualifications and experience of the supervisor of a person referred to in paragraph (h)(i) while undertaking that part of a course of study or training referred to in paragraph (h)(ii); the training and information to be provided to persons involved in carrying out the radiation practice; the name and contact details of the radiation safety officer for the radiation practice; a brief description of the role of the radiation safety officer; a brief description of the resources available to the radiation safety officer to enable the officer to perform the officer’s role under the proposed radiation management plan; a description of the roles and responsibilities, that are relevant to a dealing with the radiation source in the radiation practice, of all persons expected to be dealing with the radiation source in the radiation practice; the methods used to ensure that the persons referred to in paragraph (n) are aware of their obligations under the Act and the licence; details of how the radiation source in the radiation practice will be prepared for use, repaired, maintained, transported, stored and disposed of; details of any emergency response plans for the radiation practice including reporting to the Director of Public Health; details of procedures that are designed to minimise the radiation hazard arising from a radiation incident; details of reporting procedures for incidents adversely affecting, or likely to adversely affect – equipment used in the radiation practice; or the environment; or the health or safety of any person; details of record-keeping requirements including details of the records that will be kept of movement of any mobile radiation source in the radiation practice; details of the use of radiation warning signs and labels in the radiation practice.

A person may not be specified as a radiation safety officer in the proposed radiation management plan for any radiation practice unless the person has received sufficient training to enable the person to – supervise the radiation protection aspects of the radiation practice that are specified in the proposed radiation management plan; and operate and interpret the readings from radiation monitoring equipment that is required for the radiation practice; and understand the precautions (including the use of protective clothing and equipment) to be taken in carrying out the radiation practice; and understand the extent to which the precautions referred to in paragraph (c) will restrict exposure to radiation; and know the actions required to carry out the emergency procedures specified in the proposed radiation management plan; and in the case of a radiation practice involving ionising radiation, assist the holder of the licence to implement the responsibilities of the Responsible Person as specified in Chapter 3 of the Planned Exposure Code; and carry out the duties specified for a radiation safety officer in any codes of practice, guidelines and standards relevant to the radiation practice.

For the purposes of sections 9(a) and 10(1) of the Act, the following are the prescribed dose limits that apply to the occupational exposure of a person to ionising radiation:

the average of the annual total effective doses for the person, over a 5-year period, must not be more than 20 millisieverts a year;

the total effective dose for the person must not be more than 50 millisieverts in any one year;

the equivalent dose for each lens of the person's eyes must not be more than – an average of 20 millisieverts per year over a 5-year period; or 50 millisieverts in any one year;

the equivalent dose for each of the person's hands and feet must not be more than 500 millisieverts in any one year;

the equivalent dose for a square centimetre of the person's skin must not be more than 500 millisieverts in any one year.