Radiation users are satisfied with the Radiation Act
People who use radiation in their work are mostly satisfied with the Radiation Act and the regulations clarifying the Act. However, according to a survey conducted by the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, there is still room for improvement in the provision of information and instructions.
In the early summer, the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) asked radiation operators in industry, health care, research and education as well as radiation users how satisfied they are with the functionality of the Radiation Act and the decrees issued pursuant to it. STUK received 544 responses, with industry and health care represented almost evenly. STUK uses the results of the survey when preparing proposals for the further development of the regulations.
The respondents were mostly satisfied with the current radiation legislation. There is room for improvement in the communication of amendments to regulations and decrees as well as in the guidelines issued by the authorities. For example, up-to-date information on legislation and STUK’s regulations is available to everyone on the Sammio website maintained by STUK, but not all respondents were aware of this.
The responses of industrial and healthcare radiation users were very similar. There were also no significant differences between the responses of small operating units using radiation and operators using multiple radiation sources.
According to Ritva Bly, Principal Advisor at STUK, the survey did not reveal any obvious need for a change. "As a counterbalance to the critical opinions, there were at least as many positive answers to the same questions," says Bly. "Some respondents pointed out a few development needs in their responses to open-ended questions, but they are not reflected in the distribution of the responses or other overall results."
The respondents found the obligations imposed on operators based on STUK's audits and inspections to be correct and consistent, for example. The respondents emphasised the importance of safety and considered the fees collected for supervision to be fair.
The current radiation legislation entered into force on 15 December 2018. In contrast to the previous legislation, it requires operators to carry out a safety assessment concerning their radiation practices, among other things. Operators must also have arranged the use of a radiation safety expert. A clear majority of respondents felt that these requirements have been useful in tasks such as identifying major risks.
After the current radiation legislation came into force, the payment system was also revised and the overall responsibility of the operators was emphasised. In addition, there have been some changes to STUK’s methods of supervision since the entry into force of the legislation.
When preparing the Radiation Act and supplementary regulations, it was considered necessary to assess their functionality after approximately five years of experience. The survey is part of this assessment. STUK will prepare a report for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on the functionality of radiation legislation and any need for changes. In the report, STUK will pay particular attention to the subject areas that saw significant regulatory changes in 2018.
Further information:
Mediaservice, tel: 010 850 4761
