Manatū Hauora – the Ministry of Health’s Office of Radiation Safety (ORS) administers the Radiation Safety Act 2016 and the Radiation Safety Regulations 2016 on behalf of the New Zealand Government. The purpose of the legislation is to establish a framework to protect the health and safety of people and protect the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation while allowing for its safe and beneficial use. The legislation also enables New Zealand to meet some of its international obligations relating to protection, radiation safety and security, and nuclear non-proliferation. For information about non-ionising radiation, including on 5G networks, please visit the Non-ionising radiation page under Environmental Health.
The public consultation on Manatū Hauora – the Ministry of Health’s proposed revised Code of Practice for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology ORS C1 ended at 4:00pm on 5 October 2023. Submissions received during the public consultation will be assessed by the Director for Radiation Safety over the next few weeks to complete the review.
Codes of Practice specify technical requirements. A person who deals with an ionising radiation source must comply with a code in order to comply with the fundamental requirements in sections 9 to 12 of the Radiation Safety Act 2016.
News
28 June 2023
On Wednesday 28 June 2023, new fees and a new licencing structure will apply to applications for sources licences, use licences and consents to import/export radioactive material. View Information on the new fees and licencing structure. The new fees are payable as a result of changes to the Radiation Safety Regulations 2016 (the Regulations). There are other changes to the Regulations and a full summary is available.
If you have any queries about the new fees, or other changes to the Regulations, you can contact us by email RadiationSafetyFees&[email protected].
13 June 2023
The public consultation on Manatū Hauora – the Ministry of Health’s proposed revised Code of Practice for Dental Radiology ORS C4 ended at 4:00pm on 2 June 2023. Submissions received on the public consultation will be assessed by the Office of Radiation Safety over the next two weeks to complete the review.
Codes of Practice specify technical requirements. A person who deals with an ionising radiation source must comply with a code in order to comply with the fundamental requirements in sections 8 to 12 of the Act
31 May 2023
The Government has amended the Radiation Safety Regulations 2016 (the Regulations). The amendments increase most application fees for radiation safety authorisations. There are other changes to the Regulations and further information is available:
Information on the new fees is also available.
New and renewal applications received on or after 28 June 2023 will be charged using the new fees. Refunds for variations to authorisations will be calculated based on the fees and refund provisions that applied on the date that the authorisation was granted.
If you have any queries about the new fees, or other changes to the Regulations, you can contact us by email RadiationSafetyFees&[email protected].
Codes of Practice specify technical requirements. A person who deals with an ionising radiation source must comply with a code in order to comply with the fundamental requirements in sections 8 to 12 of the Act
30 January 2023
Safety and Security of Radiation Sources During States of Local Emergency
The Office of Radiation Safety continues its efforts to ensure the safety and security of radiation sources, to safeguard the health and wellbeing of people and the environment. Given the large geographical areas affected and developing nature of this weather event, facilities using and / or storing radiation sources may have experienced damage due to flooding. When it is safe to access these facilities, the inventory of radiation sources should be confirmed, and the safety and security of radiation sources should be reassessed. If radiation sources require relocation within or to an alternative facility, security arrangements should be at the same level or higher than the current storage area. Alternative storage areas should also be assessed in terms of safety, to avoid potential exposure to people in adjacent areas. For assistance please contact us via email to [email protected]. For any radiation safety emergencies, you can contact the radiation duty officer on 021 393 632.
If you have any queries about the proposed new fees, or other changes to the Regulations, you can contact us by email RadiationSafetyFees&[email protected].
7 October 2022
A new email address has been established for formal communication with the Director for Radiation Safety in their official capacity [email protected]. Please use this email address to notify the Director of breaches of the public dose limit and reportable incidents, to seek Director approval under a Code of Practice, applying for exemptions under s 86(3) of the Radiation Safety Act 2016, and other formal communication with the Director in respect of their duties and functions under the Act. Please continue to use the [email protected] for all other enquiries.
Key requirements of the Radiation Safety Act 2016
The legislation requires the following:
- Managing entities of radiation sources must hold a Source licence authorising them to manage and control those sources.
- Managing entities must register controlled radiation sources with the Office of Radiation Safety.
- Individual users of radiation sources must hold a Use licence unless their use is otherwise authorised by the Act or regulations.
- Consent is required for anyone who wishes to import or export radioactive material.