ACTS AND REGULATIONS REGULATING THE SAFE USE OF ATOMIC ENERGY IN MALAYSIA

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ACTS AND REGULATIONS REGULATING THE SAFE USE OF
ATOMIC ENERGY IN MALAYSIA
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Contents
Introduction
Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304)
Radiation Protection (Licensing) Regulations 1986
Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standards)
Regulations 1988
Radiation Protection (Transport) Regulations 1989
Summary
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Introduction

• Radioactive Substance Act 1968

• First legislation to control the use of ionizing
  radiation (medical non medical) in Malaysia.
• Director General of Health is the Authority.

• Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304)

• Repeals the Radioactive Substance Act 1968.
• Provides powers to control nuclear reactor
  operation in addition to the power given under
  Radioactive Substances Act 1968.

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Introduction

• Subsidiary Regulations under the Act 304

• Radiation Protection (Licensing) Regulations 1986
• Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standards)
  Regulations 1988
• Radiation Protection (Transport) Regulations 1989

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Scope of the Act 304

• To control any radioactive materials, nuclear
  materials, prescribed substances or irradiating
  apparatus in medical and non-medical application.
• To issue licence for using any radioactive
  materials or irradiating apparatus for medical
  (diagnostic or therapeutic) purposes only to a
  registered medical practitioner, registered
  veterinary surgeon, radiologist, radiotherapist
  or registered dentist.

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• The Purpose of the Act 304 are to ensure

• The safe, optimum and efficacious use of
  radiation in medical and non-medical fields.
• That the hazards associated with application of
  radiation are minimised and within acceptable
  levels.
• There is no misused of any radioactive materials,
  nuclear materials, prescribed substances or
  irradiating apparatus in relation to the
  prohibition stated in the Act.

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Licensing Authority

• Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) for dealing
  with ionizing radiation in non-medical
  applications.

• Director General of Health for the use of
  ionizing radiation in medical applications.

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Control and Licensing

• No person shall

• site, construct or operate a nuclear
  installation,
• deal in, possess or dispose of any radioactive
  material, nuclear material, prescribed substance
  or irradiating apparatus,

unless he is the holder of a valid license issued
under section 16(5) by the appropriate authority
for such purpose and as specified in the license.
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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Condition of Licenses

Licenses issued under this Act may be renewed and
subjected to such condition as may be imposed by
the appropriate authority which may in respect of
the conditions imposed by it, add to, vary or
revoke such conditions at any time.
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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Suspension of License

The appropriate authority may cancel or suspend
any license for such period of the following
circumstances

• The licensee has committed an offence.
• The licensee has committed a breach of any
  condition of the licence.
• The licensee ceases to work or operate the
  nuclear installation in respect of which the
  licence was issued.
• In the opinion of the appropriate authority it
  would be in the public interest so to do.

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Health and Safety

• Act 304 requires licensees to be responsible for
  the protection of the health and safety of
  workers by complying with all the regulations/
  directives given by the appropriate authority,
  pertaining to

• Conditions of exposure
• Dose limitation
• Occupational exposure
• Medical exposure
• Exposure of members of the public
• Accidental exposure
• Emergency exposure and exposure other than any of
  those specified above

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Licensee is responsible for the worker who have
  been exposed to ionizing radiation to

• Provide and require such workers to wear approved
  personnel-monitoring devices.
• Keep records of dose and type of ionizing
  radiation to which such a worker has been
  exposed.
• Install or use monitoring devices in workplace to
  record the amount of ionizing radiation present.
• Provide medical examination for such workers at
  such intervals as the appropriate authority may
  determine.

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Disposal of Radioactive Waste

• Any radioactive waste cannot be disposed of,
  accumulated or transported without prior
  authorization in writing and subject to such
  conditions imposed.

• The appropriate authority may direct the licensee
  or any person who is responsible for premises,
  nuclear installation, conveyance or site where
  any situation or condition endangering life,
  health, property or the environmental to adopt
  such measure as would eliminate or protect
  against such situation or condition.

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Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984

• Offences

• Imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years or
  a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or both if there
  is no penalty is stated.

• Imprisonment for a term no exceeding 5 years or a
  fine not exceeding RM5,000 or both (for specific
  offences under section 39 of the Act).

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Radiation Protection (Licensing) Regulations 1986

• General Conditions

The applicant shall

• employ a person having the necessary knowledge,
  skill and training

• the applicants proposed equipment, facilities
  and procedures shall be adequate

to protect the health of workers and members of
the public and to minimize danger to life,
property and the environment.
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Radiation Protection (Licensing) Regulations 1986

• Classification of License

Class of Licence Type of Material Purposes
Class A Radioactive material to manufacture, trade in, produce, process, purchase, own, possess, use, transfer, handle, sell or store
Class B Nuclear material - as above -
Class C Irradiating apparatus - as above -
Class D Radioactive materials, nuclear materials, prescribed substances or their waste to transport
Class E Radioactive materials, nuclear materials, prescribed substances, irradiating apparatus or their waste to export or import
Cont
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Radiation Protection (Licensing) Regulations 1986

• Classification of License

Class of Licence Type of Material Purposes
Class F Nuclear installation the temporary operation stage the full operation stage to site, to construct or to operate
Class G a) Radioactive materials, nuclear materials, prescribed substances or their waste to dispose
Class G a) Radioactive materials, nuclear materials, prescribed substances or their waste to store (prior to their disposal)
Class G b) Milling installation, nuclear installation, waste treatment facility, irradiating apparatus or sealed source apparatus to decommission
Class H Others to control activities which are not covered by Class A to G
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Radiation Protection (Licensing) Regulations 1986

• Exemption of Fee

• The transfer or radioactive materials, nuclear
  materials, prescribed substances or irradiating
  apparatus for charitable or non-profit purposes
  and
• An amendment which does not relate to the class
  of the licence or the details of any apparatus,
  material or installation.

.
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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Introduction

• Based on the International Atomic Energy Agency
  (IAEA) BSS No. 6 1986.
• Currently being reviewed to suit the current
  recommendation of IAEA Safety Series No. 115 and
  International Commission on Radiological
  Protection (ICRP) 60.
• Describe the principles of radiation protection
  and safety such as, system of dose limitation
  (justification, optimization), medical exposure,
  operational radiation protection and role of
  licensee and radiation worker.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Dose Limitation

• No person shall carry out any activity involving
  ionizing radiation unless such activity is
  justified in relation to its benefits and those
  of any available alternatives.

• Every licensee shall take steps to restrict the
  necessary exposure to any person and such
  exposure shall be as low as is reasonably
  achievable, economic and social factors being
  taken into account.

• The annual dose limits do not apply to medical
  exposure or exposure due to natural background
  radiation.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Occupational Exposure

• Radiation Workers

• For pregnant worker - the dose to the foetus
  accumulated over the period of time between
  confirmation of pregnancy and the date of
  delivery shall not exceed 10 mSv.

• Public

• Annual dose limit - 1 mSv

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Medical Exposure

No person shall carry out any
Systematic radiological examination on any person
unless there are clear clinical needs and unless
such examination is justified, taking into
consideration the useful information expected to
be obtained and the importance of this
information to the persons health.
Radiological examination for occupational
purposes unless such examination is necessary for
the purpose of evaluating the health of the
person examined and his fitness for the work.
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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Responsibilities of a Licensee

• To employ a radiation protection officer to
  assist in managing radiation safety
• To classify the working areas into clean,
  supervised and controlled areas (where
  appropriate)
• To ensure that supervised or controlled areas are
  clearly demarcated, and appropriate and legible
  notices and warning signs bearing the radiation
  symbol are posted conspicuously in strategic
  places in the national language and other
  language (if necessary)
• To ensure that operating instructions relevant to
  the supervised and controlled areas are posted
  conspicuously in such areas

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Responsibilities of a Licensee

• To establish programmes for area monitoring in
  supervised and controlled areas which include

• the assessment of external radiation levels at
  all appropriate locations
• the assessment of levels of radioactive
  contamination at all appropriate locations and
• the assessment of radiation risks associated with
  
• accident or emergency situation.

• To ensure that personnel dose monitoring for all
  workers during normal operation, planned special
  exposure and accidental and emergency exposure
  are carried out and recorded properly.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Responsibilities of a Licensee

• To inform each worker of the workers personnel
  monitoring results and radiation exposure status
  not later than two weeks from the date the
  results are available.
• To ensure that the results of personnel
  monitoring are submitted to the approved
  registered medical practitioner immediately
  whenever an accident or emergency occurs.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Responsibilities of a Licensee

• To carry out medical surveillance for his workers
  by an approved registered medical practitioner

• pre-employment medical examination/ general
  health surveillance
• ? periodic reviews of health and
• ? medical examination at termination of
  employment or retirement.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Responsibilities of a Licensee

• To maintain a medical record for each worker and
  it shall be kept up to date as long as he remains
  a worker.
• To provide appropriate training on radiation
  protection relevant to his duties.
• To ensure that all protective measures and
  devices meet the requirements.
• To ensure inspection and testing of protective
  measures and devices, and measuring instruments.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Responsibilities of a Worker

• To follow all instructions, rules and procedures
  issued by the licensee.
• To use all facilities, devices and protective
  equipment provided by the licensee.
• To use approved personnel monitoring devices when
  provided by the licensee for assessing exposure.

• To report all accidental exposures.
• To report any damage to or malfunction of any
  safety equipment.
• To report such suspected pregnancy to the
  approved registered medical practitioner if she
  suspects that she is pregnant.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Establishment of Emergency Plan

• The licensee is required to establish an approved
  emergency plan for all emergency situation.

• An emergency plan should include the following

• The emergency organization
• An outline of the lines of communication with the
  appropriate authority and relevant public
  authorities
• A classification of emergencies
• Measures to be taken during an emergency
• Action to be taken subsequently to the emergency
• The intervention levels for different emergency
  situations and
• A list and description of the equipment necessary
  for use during an emergency.

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Reports and Document

• The licensee may be required to submit to the
  appropriate authority any or all of the following

• a report on area monitoring
• a report on environmental monitoring
• a report on effluent monitoring
• a report on accidental and emergency exposures
• operational procedures, instructions and manuals

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Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard)
Regulations 1988

• Reports and Document

• a report on personnel monitoring
• training programmes
• physical protection measures
• a report by approved registered medical
  practitioners
• emergency plans and procedures and
• other reports and records which the appropriate
  authority deems necessary.

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Radiation Protection (Transport) Regulations 1989
Scope covers
Radioactive materials, Nuclear materials or
Prescribed substances
by all modes of transportation
IN THE AIR
LAND
WATER
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Radiation Protection (Transport) Regulations 1989

• Exemption

• producing, using or storing of radioactive
  materials, nuclear materials or prescribed
  substances within establishments, other than
  storage in transit
• implanting with radioisotopic cardiac pacemakers
  or other devices to human beings or treating with
  radiopharmaceuticals and
• as an integral part of a conveyance which
  radioactive materials, nuclear materials or
  prescribed substances is used.

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Summary
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