Two kinds of radiation — and two sets of rules
Radiation at work splits into two streams with different rules. Ionising radiation (X-rays, gamma, radioactive sources) is regulated under the Radiation Safety Act 2016, administered by the Ministry of Health's Office of Radiation Safety, which requires source and use licences and sets dose limits. Non-ionising radiation (lasers, UV, radio-frequency and welding arc) is managed under the HSWA general duty and other rules. Either way, your HSWA duty to protect workers applies — using the classic controls of time, distance and shielding.
Ionising radiation has enough energy to damage cells and DNA — it comes from X-ray and irradiating equipment, and radioactive sources used in medicine, industrial radiography, research and gauging. It is regulated by the Radiation Safety Act 2016 and Regulations, administered by the Ministry of Health's Office of Radiation Safety (ORS). Non-ionising radiation — lasers, ultraviolet (including the welding arc and the sun), infrared and radio-frequency fields — is not under that Act; it is managed under the HSWA general duty and other safety rules. In every case the PCBU's HSWA duty to manage health risks still applies.
Under the Radiation Safety Act 2016, a person or organisation that manages or controls a radiation source generally needs a source licence, and a person who uses one generally needs a use licence — with some activities (for example certain health practitioners and veterinarians) authorised without a use licence. Sources must be fit for purpose, exposures justified and kept within the dose limits in the Act, and records kept. The ORS issues codes of practice that set the technical requirements for particular uses.
| Control | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Time | Limit how long anyone spends near the source — less time means less dose. |
| Distance | Keep as far from the source as practicable — dose falls steeply with distance. |
| Shielding | Put the right shielding between the source and people, and use interlocks, enclosures and warning signage. |
| Monitor | Use personal dosimetry and area monitoring, and appoint a radiation safety officer where sources are used; pregnant workers need exposure kept well within the limits. |
Manage lasers by class (enclosures, interlocks, eye protection and controlled areas), the welding arc and UV with screens, filters and skin and eye protection — see welding fume — and the sun under sun & UV exposure. Radiation work in laboratories sits alongside the wider lab controls in health & safety for laboratories, and exposed workers should have health monitoring where it is warranted.
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Ionising radiation (X-rays, gamma, radioactive sources) has enough energy to damage cells and DNA and is tightly regulated. Non-ionising radiation (lasers, UV, infrared, radio-frequency) has less energy but can still harm — for example UV causing skin and eye damage.
Ionising radiation is regulated under the Radiation Safety Act 2016, administered by the Ministry of Health's Office of Radiation Safety. Non-ionising radiation is managed under the HSWA general duty and other safety rules. The PCBU's HSWA duty applies to both.
For ionising sources, generally yes. A source licence is needed by the person or organisation that manages or controls the source, and a use licence by the user — though some activities are authorised without a use licence.
Use the three core controls: time (limit time near the source), distance (stay as far away as practicable) and shielding (put the right barrier between people and the source), backed by monitoring, signage and interlocks.
No. Those are non-ionising radiation, managed under the HSWA general duty and other rules. The sun is covered in our sun and UV exposure guide, and the welding arc in our welding fume guide.
