Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-20-07-.23 - TRAINING FOR RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER AND ASSOCIATE RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER

Except as provided in Rule 0400-20-07-.26, a licensee shall require an individual fulfilling the responsibilities of the radiation safety officer or an individual assigned duties and tasks as an associate radiation safety officer under Rule 0400-20-07-.17 to be an individual who:

(1) Is certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the Division, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or an Agreement State, and who meets the requirements of paragraph (4) of this rule. The names of board certifications that have been recognized by the Division, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or an Agreement State are posted on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Medical Uses Licensee Toolkit Web page. To have its certification process recognized, a specialty board shall require all candidates for certification to:

(a)

1. 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 20 college credits in physical science;

2. 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

3. Pass an examination administered by diplomates of the specialty board that 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

(b)

1. 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;

2. Have at least two years of full-time practical training and/or supervised experience in medical physics:

(i) Under the supervision of a medical physicist who is certified in medical physics by a specialty board recognized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an Agreement State; or

(ii) In clinical nuclear medicine facilities providing diagnostic and/or therapeutic services under the direction of physicians who meet the requirements for authorized users under Rule 0400-20-07-.26, 0400-20-07-.43 or 0400-20-07-.47; and

3. 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

(2)

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

1. 200 hours of classroom and laboratory training in the following areas:

(i) Radiation physics and instrumentation;

(ii) Radiation protection;

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

(iv) Radiation biology; and

(v) Radiation dosimetry; and

2. One year of full-time radiation safety experience under the supervision of the individual identified as the radiation safety officer on a Division, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or Agreement State license or a permit issued by a Commission master material licensee that authorizes a similar type or types of use or uses of radioactive material. An associate radiation safety officer may provide supervision for those areas for which the associate radiation safety officer is authorized on a Division, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or an Agreement State license or permit issued by a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission master material licensee. The full-time radiation safety experience must involve the following:

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

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

(iii) Securing and controlling radioactive material;

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

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

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

(vii) Disposing of radioactive material; and

(b) This individual must obtain a written attestation, signed by a preceptor radiation safety officer or associate radiation safety officer who has experience with the radiation safety aspects of similar types of use of radioactive material for which the individual is seeking approval as a radiation safety officer or an associate radiation safety officer. The written attestation must state that the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements of subparagraph (a) of this paragraph and paragraph (4) of this rule, and is able to independently fulfill the radiation safety-related duties as a radiation safety officer or as an associate radiation safety officer for a medical use license; or

(3)

(a) Is a medical physicist who has been certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the Division, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or an Agreement State under paragraph (1) of Rule 0400-20-07-.24 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 or as an associate radiation safety officer and who meets the requirements in paragraph (4) of this rule; or

(b) Is an authorized user, authorized medical physicist, or authorized nuclear pharmacist identified on a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an Agreement State license, a permit issued by a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission master material licensee, a permit issued by a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission or an Agreement State licensee of broad scope, or a permit issued by a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission master material license broad scope permittee, has experience with the radiation safety aspects of similar types of use of radioactive material for which the licensee seeks the approval of the individual as the radiation safety officer or associate radiation safety officer, and meets the requirements in paragraph (4) of this rule; or

(c) Has experience with the radiation safety aspects of the types of use of radioactive material for which the individual is seeking simultaneous approval both as the radiation safety officer and the authorized user on the same new medical use license or new medical use permit issued by a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission master material licensee. The individual must also meet the requirements in paragraph (4) of this rule.

(4) 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 a radiation safety officer, an associate radiation safety officer, an authorized medical physicist, authorized nuclear pharmacist, or an authorized user, as appropriate, who is authorized for the type(s) of use for which the licensee is seeking approval.

Notes

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-20-07-.23

Original rule filed February 22, 2012; effective May 22, 2012. Amendments filed December 4, 2023; effective 3/3/2024.

Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-201, et seq.; 68-202-101, et seq.; and 68-202-201, et seq.