WAC 246-240-069   Training for radiation safety officer.  Except as provided in WAC 246-240-078, the licensee shall require an individual fulfilling the responsibilities of the radiation safety officer under WAC 246-240-051 to be an individual who:

     (1) Is certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the department, the U.S. NRC, or an agreement state, and who meets the requirements of subsections (4) and (5) of this section. (Specialty boards whose certification process has been recognized by the department, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an agreement state will be posted on the NRC's web page, at http://www.nrc.gov.) To be recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification to:

     (a) Hold a bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited college or university in physical science or engineering or biological science with a minimum of twenty college credits in physical science;

     (b) Have five or more years of professional experience in health physics (graduate training may be substituted for no more than two years of the required experience) including at least three years in applied health physics; and

     (c) Pass an examination administered by diplomates of the specialty board, which evaluates knowledge and competence in radiation physics and instrumentation, radiation protection, mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity, radiation biology, and radiation dosimetry; or

     (i) Hold a master's or doctor's degree in physics, medical physics, other physical science, engineering, or applied mathematics from an accredited college or university;

     (ii) Have two years of full-time practical training and/or supervised experience in medical physics:

     (A) Under the supervision of a medical physicist who is certified in medical physics by a specialty board recognized by the commission or an agreement state; or

     (B) In clinical nuclear medicine facilities providing diagnostic and/or therapeutic services under the direction of physicians who meet the requirements for authorized users in WAC 246-240-163 or 246-240-210; and

     (iii) Pass an examination, administered by diplomates of the specialty board, that assesses knowledge and competence in clinical diagnostic radiological or nuclear medicine physics and in radiation safety; or

     (d) Obtain written certification signed by a preceptor radiation safety officer that the individual has achieved a level of radiation safety knowledge sufficient to function independently as a radiation safety officer for a medical use licensee; or

     (2)(a) Has completed a structured educational program consisting of both:

     (i) Two hundred hours of classroom and laboratory training in the following areas:

     (A) Radiation physics and instrumentation;

     (B) Radiation protection;

     (C) Mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity;

     (D) Radiation biology; and

     (E) Radiation dosimetry; and

     (ii) One year of full-time radiation safety experience under the supervision of the individual identified as the radiation safety officer on a department or agreement state license or license issued by the U.S. NRC that authorizes similar type(s) of use(s) of radioactive material involving the following:

     (A) Shipping, receiving, and performing related radiation surveys;

     (B) Using and performing checks for proper operation of instruments used to determine the activity of dosages, survey meters, and instruments used to measure radionuclides;

     (C) Securing and controlling radioactive material;

     (D) Using administrative controls to avoid mistakes in the administration of radioactive material;

     (E) Using procedures to prevent or minimize radioactive contamination and using proper decontamination procedures;

     (F) Using emergency procedures to control radioactive material; and

     (G) Disposing of radioactive material; or

     (b) Is a medical physicist who has been certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the department, the U.S. NRC, or an agreement state under WAC 246-240-072 and has experience in radiation safety for similar types of use of radioactive material for which the licensee is seeking the approval of the individual as radiation safety officer and who meets the requirements in subsections (4) and (5) of this section; or

     (3) Is an authorized user, authorized medical physicist, or authorized nuclear pharmacist identified on the licensee's license or a medical physicist who has been certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the department, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an agreement state under WAC 246-240-072 and has experience with the radiation safety aspects of similar types of use of radioactive material for which the individual has radiation safety officer responsibilities; and

     (4) Has obtained written certification, signed by a preceptor radiation safety officer, that the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements in subsection (5) of this section, and in subsection (1)(a) and (b), or (c)(i) and (ii) of this section, or subsection (2)(a) or (b) of this section, or subsection (3) of this section and has achieved a level of radiation safety knowledge sufficient to function independently as a radiation safety officer for a medical use licensee; and

     (5) Has training in the radiation safety, regulatory issues, and emergency procedures for the types of use for which a licensee seeks approval. This training requirement may be satisfied by completing training that is supervised by an authorized medical physicist, authorized user, authorized nuclear pharmacist, or radiation safety officer, as appropriate, who is authorized for the type(s) of use for which the licensee is seeking approval.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.98.050. 07-14-131, § 246-240-069, filed 7/3/07, effective 8/3/07; 06-05-019, § 246-240-069, filed 2/6/06, effective 3/9/06.]