Modernizing Regulations Enhances Safety for Radiation Workers

Released on February 16, 2024

Amendments have been made to The Radiation Health and Safety Regulations, 2005 that will come into force on August 8, 2024 to provide employers with time to prepare for changes to the requirements.

"By reviewing the regulations and getting valuable feedback from industry stakeholders and the public we are improving worker safety, ensuring consistency and modernizing outdated provisions," Labour Relations and Workplace Safety Minister Don McMorris said.

The amendments focus on enhancing protection of radiation workers, reducing administrative burden, improving access to service and reducing fees:

• Worker protection amendments ensure that workers are informed and can take necessary precautions to reduce their exposure. This includes requiring an owner/operator of radiation equipment to inform a worker of their designation as a radiation worker, the risks of radiation exposure and the risks of radiation exposure during pregnancy. 
• Reducing administrative burden will help reduce costs of owners and operators of radiation equipment without having an impact on the regulatory oversight.
• Improving access to services.
• Reducing fees for services that have been outsourced to the private sector including:
• Discontinuing the requirement to report routine worker doses to the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety.
• Reducing the dose record keeping period from permanent to five years.
• Simplifying the required preventive maintenance schedule of x-ray equipment.
• Discontinuing the requirement to register laser light shows and medical ultrasound equipment.
• Adding occupational therapist to the list of operators of class 3, 3B and 4 lasers and therapeutic ultrasound equipment to ensure easier patient access to a distinct set of services.
• Eliminating the fees for registration of x-ray equipment, leak test analysis, radon measurement, calibration of radiation monitoring equipment, inspections and examinations.
• Aligning the fee for consultation services to be reflective of the current cost of the service.

The amendments come after a review of The Radiation Health and Safety Regulations, 2005 was undertaken in the summer of 2021 to address changes in technological advances, radiation practices and remove redundancies.

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