Radiation safety officer
When applying for a safety licence, the responsible party appoints a radiation safety officer for whom it seeks STUK’s approval. The approval must be sought also if a new radiation safety officer is appointed. The radiation safety officer has a key role in ensuring radiation safety.
Qualification of radiation safety officer
The qualification can be obtained by attending training offered by an STUK-approved training organization and the related qualification examination. There are separate areas of qualification for different applications of radiation use. The training and qualification requirements for radiation safety officers are described in more detail in STUK’s Guide ST 1.8.
If a new radiation safety officer is appointed, a copy of the qualification certificate must be submitted to STUK. If the person is already appointed as the radiation safety officer in another licence, it is sufficient to only report the number of the licence or the name of the licence holder in question.
When approving a radiation safety officer, STUK may require the person appointed to attend suitable supplementary training if his or her qualification examination is more than five years old.
Position and duties of the radiation safety officer
The responsible party defines, in writing, the duties, authority and obligations of the radiation safety officer with regard to radiation safety. The radiation safety officer must have the opportunity and authority to perform his or her duties. He or she must be able to issue instructions on radiation safety and interrupt the use of radiation in radiological emergencies.
The general principle is that the radiation safety officer serves the radiation user’s organization. If the radiation safety officer is not employed by the holder of the safety licence, the agreement on performing the duties of radiation safety officer must be submitted to STUK.
In addition to the radiation safety officer, the responsible party may appoint persons for other positions, as necessary for ensuring safety at the place of use of radiation. This may be necessary if the operations are extensive or take place in different locations, or if the same radiation safety officer is exceptionally appointed in several safety licences.
STUK’s Guide ST 1.4 discusses in more detail the role and duties of radiation safety officer as well as other positions.