reg 7 Emergency exposures: employees
(1) Where an emergency plan provides for the possibility of any employee receiving an emergency exposure, each employer must, in relation to the employer’s employees— (a) identify those employees who may be subject to emergency exposure; (b) provide those employees with appropriate training in the field of radiation protection and such information and instruction as is suitable and sufficient for them to know the risks to health created by exposure to ionising radiation and the precautions which should be taken; (c) provide such equipment as is necessary to restrict the exposure of such employees to ionising radiation; (d) make arrangements for medical surveillance by an appointed doctor or employment medical advisor to be carried out without delay in the event of a radiation emergency in respect of those employees who receive emergency exposures; (e) make arrangements with an approved dosimetry service for— (i) dose assessments to be carried out without delay in the event of a radiation emergency in respect of those employees who receive emergency exposures, and a dose assessment made for the purposes of this paragraph must, where practicable, be made separately from any other dose assessment relating to those employees; and (ii) the results of the dose assessments carried out under sub-paragraph (i) to be notified without delay to the employer and the GB Competent Authority; (f) make arrangements, in respect of dose assessments to be carried out and notified pursuant to paragraph (e), to notify the results of such assessments without delay to the appointed doctor or employment medical adviser who is carrying out medical surveillance on the employee to whom the assessment relates; and (g) identify those employees who are authorised, in the event of a radiation emergency, to permit any employee referred to in paragraph (a) to be subject to an emergency exposure and provide employees who are so authorised with appropriate training. (2) The duty holder must notify the GB Competent Authority of the dose levels which they have determined are appropriate to be applied in respect of an employee identified for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(a) in the event of an emergency. (3) A notification under sub-paragraph (2) must be given— (a) in relation to transport of class 7 goods by road, rail or inland waterway which is to be carried out once only, at least 28 days before the transport is carried out, or within such shorter time as the GB Competent Authority may agree; (b) in relation to any other transport of class 7 goods by road, rail or inland waterway, at least 28 days before the transport is first carried out, or within such shorter time as the GB Competent Authority may agree. (4) Where the carrier and the consignor together determine that a dose level notified under sub-paragraph (2) is no longer appropriate to be applied in respect of an employee for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(a) in the event of such an emergency, and that a revised dose level is to be determined, the duty holder must, at least 28 days before formally determining the revised dose level, or within such shorter time as the GB Competent Authority agrees, notify the GB Competent Authority of the revised dose level which the operator considers is appropriate to be applied. (5) In any case where, in the opinion of the GB Competent Authority, the dose levels for emergency exposure notified pursuant to sub-paragraph (2) or (4) are too high, the carrier and the consignor must, if directed to do so by the GB Competent Authority, substitute such other dose level or levels as the GB Competent Authority considers appropriate. (6) Where an emergency plan is initiated, each employer must ensure— (a) that no employee of that employer who is under 18 years of age, no trainee or apprentice under 18 years of age, and no female employee who is pregnant or breastfeeding is subject to an emergency exposure; (b) that no other employee of that employer is subject to an emergency exposure unless— (i) that employee has agreed to undergo such exposure; (ii) the requirements of sub-paragraph (1)(a) to (f) have been complied with in respect of the employee; and (iii) that employee has been permitted to be so by an employee authorised for that purpose under sub-paragraph (1)(g); and (c) that no employee of that employer involved in implementing an emergency plan is exposed to a dose of ionising radiation in excess of the dose level determined in accordance with sub-paragraph (2), (4) and (5). (7) The requirement imposed on the employer under sub-paragraph (6)(a) in respect of a female employee who is pregnant or breastfeeding does not apply until that employee has notified the employer in writing of that fact or until the date from which the employer ought reasonably to have been aware of that fact. (8) The requirement imposed by sub-paragraph (6)(c) does not apply in respect of an exposure of any employee who— (a) being informed about the risks involved in the intervention, agrees to undergo an exposure greater than any dose level referred to in that paragraph for the purpose of saving human life; and (b) is permitted to undergo such exposure by an employee authorised by the employer under sub-paragraph (1)(g) to give such permission. (9) Where an employee has undergone an emergency exposure, the employer must ensure that the dose of ionising radiation received by that employee is assessed by an approved dosimetry service and that the dose assessed is recorded separately in the dose record of that employee or, where no dose record exists, in a record created for the purpose of this sub-paragraph complying with the requirements to which it would be subject if it were a dose record. (10) An employer must, at the request of that employer’s employee in circumstances where a dose record has been created for the purposes of sub-paragraph (9) and on reasonable notice being given, obtain from the approved dosimetry service and make available to the employee a copy of the record of the dose relating to that employee. (11) In the event of a report being made under paragraph 6(6)(c) relating to the circumstances of an emergency exposure and the action taken as a result of that exposure, an employer must keep such a report (or copy of that report) until the person to whom the report relates has or would have attained the age of 75 years but in any event for at least 30 years from the termination of the work which involved the emergency exposure. (12) In this paragraph— (a) “appointed doctor”, “approved dosimetry service”, “dose assessment”, “dose record” have the meanings given by the 2017 Regulations; (b) “medical surveillance” means medical surveillance carried out in accordance with the 2017 Regulations.