Radiation

All procedures involving ionising radiation should be listed in the protocol.
Research protocols should follow the guidelines set out by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) in its “Code of Practice for the Exposure of Humans to Ionizing Radiation for Research Purposes 2005” – Radiation Protection Series No. 8. Section 2.1 of the Code outlines the responsibilities of researchers.

The Code applies to research involving humans who are exposed to radiation which is additional to that received as part of their normal clinical management. The applicant must provide the HREC with an independent assessment or verification by a medical physicist of: (a) the total effective dose and relevant organ doses for those radiological procedures that are performed specifically for the research protocol and which are additional to those received as a part of the research participant’s normal clinical management; (b) whether these will exceed the ARPANSA dose constraints and (c) the risks associated with the radiation exposure.

The applicant must comply with any recommendations made by the Medical Physicist for risk wording in the Participant Information Sheet.

If applying to the RPA Radiation Safety Officer, a Radiation Safety report form is available here