Radiation licensing

Ionising radiation apparatus are required to be registered in the name of the owner. A Licence to possess a radiation source must be obtained before apparatus can be registered.

Ionising radiation apparatus must meet prescribed design, installation and shielding requirements. The registration process includes verification that the apparatus complies with these requirements.

Registration of radiation apparatus (Form 27)

Compliance verification of shielding and diagnostic X-ray apparatus used for dental, medical, veterinary, and chiropractic radiography is carried out by an EPA accredited tester. To find an EPA accredited tester of diagnostic X-ray apparatus, please refer to the list of Accredited testers or contact the EPA. 

Regulation 21 of the Radiation Protection and Control Regulations 2022 exempts certain classes of radiation apparatus from registration. For advice on your registration requirements, please consult your company radiation safety manual or discuss with your radiation safety officer/adviser, or contact the EPA.

Sealed sources are commonly used in bore hole logging, gauging, civil construction, agricultural, medical, industrial and scientific sectors. Most sealed radiation source capsules must be registered.

Sealed sources must meet prescribed design requirements and maintain their integrity for their intended use. The registration process verifies prescribed design requirements and maintain their integrity for their intended use.

Registration of sealed radioactive source (Form 26)

Regulation 20 of the Radiation Protection and Control Regulations 2022 exempts some types of sealed radiation sources from registration. For advice on your registration requirements, please discuss with your radiation safety officer/adviser, or contact the EPA.

Applications to register a sealed radioactive source must include all sealed source certificates, details of the design of the source capsule and any storage container. Where relevant, special form certificates and Type B package certificates must also be supplied. A new or updated radiation management plan must be submitted with an application for a new type of sealed source.

Any premises where unsealed radioactive substances are handled or kept must be registered. Generally this applies to:

• laboratories handling radioactive materials
• nuclear medicine and medical imaging involving isotopes.
• mineral testing or storage of geological/core samples containing radioactive ore
• premises storing or handling items containing naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM).

Registration of premises in which unsealed radioactive materiasl are handled or kept (Form 25)

Persons conducting compliance testing services must hold an accreditation.

Accreditation as a tester of diagnostic X-ray apparatus permits a person to undertake activities to assess and issue certificates of compliance for diagnostic X-ray apparatus.

The EPA accredits persons to assess compliance of dental, mammography, plain radiography, computed tomography, and fluoroscopy X-ray apparatus, and shielding of medical, veterinary, and chiropractic X-ray apparatus.

Applying to be an accredited tester (Form 31A)

Licences are required to construct, establish, control, operate, manage, and decommission a radiation facility or a mining or mineral processing facility with radioactive ore present.

A radiation facility can include:

• A large irradiator utilising a radioactive substance
• A particle accelerator
• A premises which produces, stores or uses a sealed or unsealed radioactive substance with greater than the prescribed quantity, examples include:
  • – Bulk storage of NORM
  • – Pilot plants performing metallurgical testing.

Mineral projects which may require a developmental testing or operational licence include uranium and mineral sand mining. Some minerals (eg copper) may be associated with quantities of naturally occurring radioactive material that trigger the requirement for licensing.

For advice on your licensing requirements, please consult your company radiation safety manual or discuss with your radiation safety officer/adviser, or contact the EPA.

• Radiation management licence - test for developmental purposes (Form 18)
• Radiation managment licence - mining or mineral processing (Form 19)
• Radiation managment licence - radiation facility (Form 20)

Persons who sell, install, maintain or dispose of radiation apparatus or radiation sources in South Australia are required to provide a notification to the EPA.

The forms required for notification are:

• Sale/install of of registrable device or registrable sealed radioactive source (Form 26A)
• Sale disposal/decommisson of an x-ray apparatus (Form 27B)
• Disposal of sealed radioactive source (Form 26B)
• Notification of sale/installation/relocation of an x-ray apparatus (Form 27A)

The requirements for activities are given below.

Please note:

• A licence is not required to carry on a business of selling radiation apparatus.
• A supplier who receives an order for an apparatus must provide a notification to the EPA of the sale. They are also required to provide the new owner with application forms to register the apparatus and an for a licence to operate an ionising radiation apparatus.

If you are disposing of the apparatus such that it will no longer be used, you must ensure that the apparatus is disabled in a manner that would require specialist knowledge to make the apparatus operable again. This may require the services of a suitably qualified technician or engineer.