Code of Practice for Radiation Therapy: ORS C3

The Code of Practice for Radiation Therapy: ORS C3 2019 (ORS C3 2019) is currently in force. The code of practice was issued on 9 August 2019 under section 86 of the Radiation Safety Act 2016 (the Act).

ORS C3 2019 replaced CSP12, 13 and 14 which were superseded in 2017 when the Radiation Protection Act 1965 was repealed.

Scope of ORS C3 2019

ORS C3 2019 specifies the technical requirements that a person must comply with in order to comply with the fundamental requirements set out in sections 9 to 12 of the Act.

The code of practice applies to any person who deals with a radiation source that is within the scope of the code of practice. The scope of ORS C3 2019 is set out in the code of practice. To ‘deal with’ a radiation source that is within the scope of ORS C3 2019 means to: manufacture, possess, control, manage, use, store, export, import, sell, supply, or dispose of a radiation source. 

The code of practice applies to all practices involving irradiating apparatus and sealed radioactive material for medical therapeutic purposes. Application of the code of practice includes the use of equipment that utilises computed tomography solely for radiotherapy treatment, planning, or verification. 

ORS C3 2019 does not apply to:

• Irradiating apparatus used for diagnostic radiology and image-guided interventional procedures in medicine (see instead ORS C1 2024)
• Unsealed radioactive material used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes in medicine (see instead ORS C2 2019)
• Security of radioactive material (see instead ORS C5 2021)
• Safe transport of radioactive material (see instead ORS C6 2019)