Antinuclear

Radiation regulator to target miners http://www.governmentnews.com.au/2012/08/03/article/Radiation-regulator-to-target-miners/TODXIXSKLM.html  , 03/08/2012,  By Julian Bajkowski Radiation safety for workers in the mining and resources sector is set to be probed by the government after the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) revealed it is scouting for consultants to review the state of radiation exposure reporting.

Tender documents released by the atomic safety watchdog call for
consultants to “review the status of the reporting and monitoring
systems in the mining and milling sector currently in place” and
“quantification of numbers and types of workers potentially exposed to
radiation”.

The stocktake aims to guage the extent and of occupational radiation
exposure reporting, monitoring, record retention and regulatory
compliance across Australia’s booming mining industry.

Radiation exposure levels of workers in the uranium mining and milling
sector have been overseen by ARPANSA since 2010, but the regulator is
now increasing the scope of its oversight to include workers across
the broader mining and minerals sector, including exploration.

The agency manages the Australian National Radiation Dose Register
(ANRDR), a database of radiation dose information for workers who are
occupationally exposed to radiation.

“ARPANSA has a statutory mandate to protect the health and safety of
people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation and
to promote uniformity of radiation protection,” documents from the
agency said.

“Consistent with this statutory role, ARPANSA is seeking to expand the
ANRDR beyond uranium mining to include workers occupationally exposed
to ionising radiation in other forms or radioactive ore mining and
milling, including exploration.

August 3, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, health