The responsible party is liable for the safety in the use of radiation

The responsible party may assign the practical matters related to radiation safety to a radiation safety officer or another appointed person. This does not, however, reduce the responsible party’s responsibility for compliance with the radiation legislation.

The responsible party’s general duty of care and obligation to provide information are set forth in Chapter 4 of the Radiation Act. The Act stipulates that the responsible party shall

• organize a practice to meet the requirements prescribed in the Radiation Act, and so that the risk of an occurrence leading to exceptional exposure to radiation is adequately eliminated
• ensure, in matters concerning the safety of operations, that it possesses the expertise required with respect to the nature and extent of the operations
• furnish the recipient with all information in its possession that is significant for the safe use of radiation when assigning a radiation source to another party.

In order to meet the requirements described hereinabove, the responsible party must ensure, among others, the following:

• There is a valid safety licence for the use of radiation unless the use has been exempted from a safety licence.
• The person appointed as radiation safety officer meets the qualification requirements, and the position and the related duties are appropriately defined.
• The radiation user’s organization is appropriate and functional with regard to the content and extent of operations.
• The risks related to the operations are identified and the risk for exceptional radiation exposure is minimized.
• The radiation sources are protected with security arrangements that prevent their damages, loss and illegal use.
• The radioactive waste generated in the operations is appropriately managed, and the unnecessary radiation sources are safely decommissioned.
• The work methods emphasize safety, and the workplace has a good safety culture.

The responsible party’s obligations are described in more detail in STUK’s Guides ST 1.6 and ST 1.8.