Manage your radiation source inventory
Possession Licensees (either a corporation or an individual) can acquire types of radiation sources for your business. They are responsible for managing the inventory of radiation sources.
Your radiation source inventory needs to be kept accurate and up-to-date. This is necessary to track the location of radiation sources and to help ensure the necessary safety measures are in place to protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation.
Notify Radiation Health
Over the course of your business operation the Possession Licensee will need to notify Radiation Health of changes in your radiation practice or inventory of radiation sources.
You will need to notify Radiation Health in writing:
- if you decide not to go through with the acquisition of a radiation source
- when the relocation of a radiation source is complete
- if you dispose of a radiation source
- if a radiation incident, equipment malfunction or dangerous incident occurs.
You can contact Radiation Health using our online enquiry and notification form.
Acquisition of a radiation source
You will need an Approval to Acquire every time you seek to purchase or otherwise obtain a radiation source. The radiation source will be added to your inventory if your application for an Approval to Acquire is successful.
Notify Radiation Health if you decide not to proceed with the acquisition by submitting an ‘inventory query’ through our online contact form.
You can apply for an Approval to Acquire:
- radiation equipment
- sealed radioactive substances
- unsealed radioactive substances or iodine-125 seeds.
See Industry radiation licences and approvals to apply for an Approval to Acquire a particular radiation source.
Relocation of a radiation source
If you want to move a radiation source to a place outside of Queensland, you will need an approval to relocate.
Submit a relocation confirmation with the relocation confirmation receipt within 7 days of the radiation source being relocated.
See Relocate a radiation source to apply for an Approval to Relocate a radiation source to outside of Queensland.
Dispose of a radiation source
Every time you dispose of a radiation source you need to notify Radiation Health.
There are different processes depending on whether you intend to:
- sell or give away a radiation source
- dispose of radiation equipment or radioactive material.
Sell or give away a radiation source
If you are selling or giving away a radiation source, you should check that the person taking overall control and ownership of the radiation source has the appropriate legislative safety requirements in place before you release the radiation source to them. In Queensland, they will need to hold an appropriate Possession Licence and an Approval to Acquire the radiation source.
Once an Approval to Acquire is granted, the radiation source will be removed from your inventory list and placed on the new possession licensee’s inventory list.
Industry radiation licences and approvals provides the relevant industry information and applications to possess and acquire a radiation source.
Dispose of radiation equipment or radioactive material
Radiation sources need to be disposed of in accordance with Section 26 and 27 of the Radiation Safety Act 1999 and Section 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 of the Radiation Safety Regulation 2021
There are different processes under Radiation Safety Act 1999 for possession licensees to dispose of different types of radiation sources:
- dispose of radiation equipment, ensuring you render it permanently inoperable, incapable of being repaired and incapable of producing radiation
- dispose of radioactive material with low activity concentration levels
- Approval to Dispose of radioactive material with high concentration levels.
Submit a disposal notification within 7 days of disposing of radiation equipment. The radiation source will remain in your inventory until Radiation Health receives written notice that it has been disposed of.
Radiation incident, equipment malfunction or dangerous event
Notify Radiation Health immediately if:
- an incident occurs that is not detailed in the Radiation Safety and Protection Plan
- radiation equipment malfunctions and is likely to result in or has resulted in radiation exposure
- a radiation source is lost or stolen
- a radiation source is damaged.
You will need to provide the following information:
- details that identify the radiation source
- location of the radiation source
- details of what occurred
- steps taken to minimise the radiation hazard
- what is being done to prevent the event from occurring again.