Excerpts from radiation protection legislation

Summary of the new radiation protection legislation for diagnostic radiography

Radiation Protection Act ( StrlSchG ) of 27 June 2017

Section 14(1)(2)(b)
The MPE must be consulted in the case of investigations involving significant exposure

Section 19: Notification period for the commissioning of X-ray equipment: four weeks ( previously two weeks )

Section 21: Notification of the cessation of operations of X-ray equipment

Section 70: The Radiation Protection Officer ( RPO ) is protected against dismissal for a period of one year. The RPO is responsible for fulfilling the duties imposed on them by the Radiation Protection Act only within the scope of their powers. The Radiation Protection Manager ( RPM ) remains responsible for ensuring compliance with the duties imposed on them by the Radiation Protection Act, even if an RPO is appointed.

Sections 77, 78, 80 ( dose ) limits

Maximum effective dose during a working life: 400 mSv	Staff exposed to radiation		Members of the public
	Cat. A	Cat. B
	≥ 18 years	≥ 18 years of age, or apprentices/students aged between 16 and 18
	Annual dose [ mSv ]
Effective dose¹	20	6	1
Organ equivalent dose eye lens	~~150~~ 20	15	15
Organ equivalent dose Skin, hands, feet, forearms², ...	Each 500	Each 150	Each 50

¹ The effective dose for individuals exposed to radiation may not exceed 50 mSv in a single calendar year, provided that the total dose does not exceed 100 mSv over five consecutive calendar years.
² including the surrounding skin.

Section 172 Appointment of experts; power to make regulations

Section 200 Transitional provisions for the operation of X-ray equipment requiring notification:

For CT scanners and interventional facilities involving significant exposure, for which notification of operation was submitted before
31 December 2018, the obligation to provide evidence of the MPE applies until 31 December 2022
For CT scanners and interventional facilities with significant exposure, the operation of which was notified from
1 January 2019, the obligation to provide evidence of the MPE applies immediately.

Radiation Protection Ordinance ( StrlSchV ) of 29 November 2018

Section 47: Required expertise in radiation protection

Section 48: Refresher training in radiation protection

Section 49: Required knowledge of radiation protection

Section 53 Demarcation, signage and securing of radiation protection areas ( e.g. "No entry – X-ray" )

Section 55 Access to radiation protection areas

Section 60: X-ray rooms

Section 63: Radiation protection training to be provided at least once a year, with records and supporting documents to be retained for five years

Sections 64–66: Determination of the whole-body dose

Section 69 Protection of pregnant women ( occupational radiation exposure must be measured on a weekly basis and the pregnant woman must be informed of the measured exposure without delay )

Section 108: Obligation to report significant incidents ( Appendix 14 )

Reference	Modality	Type of threshold	Value	Frequency
Group exhibition	Computed tomography X-ray screening Intervention	Action threshold Reporting threshold	3 × DRW 2 × DRW	One-time, followed by a review of the reporting threshold Average of the last 20 tests
Human exposure	Computed tomography X-ray screening Intervention	Action threshold Reporting threshold Action threshold Reporting threshold	CTDIvol (brain) > 120 mGy, CTDIvol (body) > 80 mGy DFP > 20.000 cGy·cm² DFP > 50.000 cGy·cm² Deterministic damage after 21 days	One-time One-time One-time, followed by a check of the reporting threshold One-time
Repeats	Computed tomography X-ray screening	Action threshold Reporting threshold	Repeats due to setting errors, faulty equipment or confusion over body parts Exceeding the reporting threshold for human exposure	One-time, followed by a check of the reporting threshold One-time
Mistakes	Computed tomography X-ray screening Intervention	Action threshold Reporting threshold Action threshold Reporting threshold	Mistaken identity Exceeding the reporting threshold for human exposure Mistaken identification of patients ( not related to dosage ) Mistaken identification of persons or body parts ( not related to dosage )	One-time, followed by a review of the reporting threshold One-time One-time One-time

Section 115 Quality assurance prior to commissioning; acceptance test

Section 116 Consistency Check

Section 131 of the Medical Physics Regulations must be consulted for CT scanners and interventional facilities involving significant exposure

Section 189: Required expertise and knowledge in radiation protection ( Sections 47, 49 and 51 )