The role of the competent person

A radiation safety officer (RSO) is a professional who assesses potentially hazardous situations to improve the safety and health of individuals. RSOs often handle hazardous materials to reduce the radioactive exposure of others, and they help manage a company's radiation protection programme. Duties vary with employer, industry and location, but commonly include:

• researching new and existing radiation regulations
• managing radiation safety programmes
• measuring radiation levels in products, materials or facilities
• supervising personnel who work with radioactive materials
• developing radiation handling procedures
• preparing research reports on handling radioactive material
• auditing company radiation safety programmes

The role of monitoring and health surveillance

Health surveillance is a system of ongoing health checks. The law may require it for employees exposed to radiation or to other substances or agents hazardous to health. It is important for:

• detecting ill-health effects at an early stage, so that better controls can stop them getting worse
• providing data that helps employers evaluate health risks
• letting employees raise concerns about how work affects their health
• showing up lapses in workplace controls, which gives valuable feedback to the risk assessment
• giving a chance to reinforce training and education, for example on the effects on health and the use of protective equipment

The risk assessment should be used to identify any need for health surveillance. Health surveillance must not replace a risk assessment or effective controls, and it does not reduce the need to eliminate or manage health risks.

Do not confuse dose monitoring with medical surveillance. In Great Britain, classified persons under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 require dose assessment/recording and medical surveillance by an appointed doctor or employment medical adviser to assess fitness for the work. Classification and other monitoring arrangements follow a specialist assessment and applicable law. Routine medical checks are not a way to prove that radiation exposure is safe or to screen out every future cancer.

Summary notes for Element 5 · Cheat sheet · Glossary. A study aid, not published or endorsed by NEBOSH.