Current through Register Vol. 24-24, December 15, 2024
Except as provided in WAC
246-240-078,
the licensee shall require an individual fulfilling the responsibilities of the
radiation safety officer or an individual assigned duties and tasks as an
associate radiation safety officer under WAC
246-240-051
to be an individual who:
(1) Is
certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized
by the department, NRC, or an agreement state, and who meets the requirements
of subsection (4) of this section. The names of board certifications that have
been recognized by the department, NRC, or an agreement state are posted on the
NRC's medical uses licensee toolkit web page. To have its certification process
recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification
to:
(a)
(i)
Hold a bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited college or university
in physical science or engineering or biological science with a minimum of 20
college credits in physical science;
(ii) Have five or more years of professional
experience in health physics (graduate training may be substituted for no more
than two years of the required experience) including at least three years in
applied health physics; and
(iii)
Pass an examination administered by diplomates of the specialty board, which
evaluates knowledge and competence in radiation physics and instrumentation,
radiation protection, mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of
radioactivity, radiation biology, and radiation dosimetry; or
(b)
(i) Hold a master's or doctor's degree in
physics, medical physics, other physical science, engineering, or applied
mathematics from an accredited college or university;
(ii) Have two years of full-time practical
training or supervised experience in medical physics:
(A) Under the supervision of a medical
physicist who is certified in medical physics by a specialty board recognized
by NRC or an agreement state; or
(B) In clinical nuclear medicine facilities
providing diagnostic or therapeutic services under the direction of physicians
who meet the requirements for authorized users in WAC
246-240-078,
246-240-163
or
246-240-210;
and
(iii) Pass an
examination, administered by diplomates of the specialty board, that assesses
knowledge and competence in clinical diagnostic radiological or nuclear
medicine physics and in radiation safety; or
(2)
(a) Has
completed a structured educational program consisting of both:
(i) Two hundred hours of classroom and
laboratory training in the following areas:
(A) Radiation physics and
instrumentation;
(B) Radiation
protection;
(C) Mathematics
pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity;
(D) Radiation biology; and
(E) Radiation dosimetry; and
(ii) One year of full-time
radiation safety experience under the supervision of the individual identified
as the radiation safety officer on a department, NRC, or an agreement state
license or permit issued by an NRC master material licensee that authorizes
similar types of uses of radioactive material. An associate radiation safety
officer may provide supervision for those areas for which the associate
radiation safety officer is authorized on a department, NRC, or an agreement
state license or permit issued by an NRC master material licensee. The
full-time radiation safety experience must involve the following:
(A) Shipping, receiving, and performing
related radiation surveys;
(B)
Using and performing checks for proper operation of instruments used to
determine the activity of dosages, survey meters, and instruments used to
measure radionuclides;
(C) Securing
and controlling radioactive material;
(D) Using administrative controls to avoid
mistakes in the administration of radioactive material;
(E) Using procedures to prevent or minimize
radioactive contamination and using proper decontamination
procedures;
(F) Using emergency
procedures to control radioactive material; and
(G) Disposing of radioactive material;
and
(b) This
individual must obtain a written attestation, signed by a preceptor radiation
safety officer or associate radiation safety officer who has experience with
the radiation safety aspects of similar types of use of radioactive material
for which the individual is seeking approval as a radiation safety officer or
an associate radiation safety officer. The written attestation must state that
the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements in (a) of this
subsection and subsection (4) of this section, and is able to independently
fulfill the radiation safety-related duties as a radiation safety officer or as
an associate radiation safety officer for a medical use license; or
(3)
(a) Is a medical physicist who has been
certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized
by the department, NRC, or an agreement state under WAC
246-240-072
and has experience in radiation safety for similar types of use of radioactive
material for which the licensee is seeking the approval of the individual as
radiation safety officer or associate radiation safety officer, and who meets
the requirements in subsection (4) of this section; or
(b) Is an authorized user, authorized medical
physicist, or authorized nuclear pharmacist identified on a department, NRC, or
an agreement state license, a permit issued by an NRC master material licensee,
a permit issued by the department, NRC, or an agreement state licensee of broad
scope, or an NRC master material license broad scope permittee, has experience
with the radiation safety aspects of similar types of use of radioactive
material for which the licensee seeks the approval of the individual as the
radiation safety officer or associate radiation safety officer and meets the
requirements in subsection (4) of this section; or
(c) Has experience with the radiation safety
aspects of the types of use of radioactive material for which the individual is
seeking simultaneous approval both as the radiation safety officer and the
authorized user on the same new medical use license or new medical use permit
issued by an NRC master material licensee. The individual must also meet the
requirements in subsection (4) of this section.
(4) Has training in the radiation safety,
regulatory issues, and emergency procedures for the types of use for which a
licensee seeks approval. This training requirement may be satisfied by
completing training that is supervised by an authorized medical physicist,
authorized user, authorized nuclear pharmacist, radiation safety officer, or an
associate radiation safety officer, as appropriate, who is authorized for the
types of use for which the licensee is seeking approval.
Statutory Authority:
RCW
70.98.050. 11-03-068, § 246-240-069,
filed 1/18/11, effective 2/18/11; 07-14-131, § 246-240-069, filed 7/3/07,
effective 8/3/07; 06-05-019, § 246-240-069, filed 2/6/06, effective
3/9/06.
