Important Note: The Non-ionising Radiation Standards and associated documents have been issued in draft in order to provide users the opportunity to make comment.
If you have any feedback, please contact the Health and Safety Advisory Service email: safety or telephone 2944. Thank you.
This site provides advice on how to manage the health and safety of employees, students and others who might be exposed to artificial sources of ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR) and visible radiation during work or study. It explains what heads of department, principal researches, academic supervisors, managers, employees and students need to do to manage artificial optical radiation (AOR) risks.
Contents:
The AOR Safety Standard applies to University activities that may expose skin, eyes or both to significant doses of UV, IR and optical radiation. Typical examples of hazardous AOR sources at work are listed in the HSE's Guidance for Employers on the Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010. If you require further advice contact your Departmental Non-Ionising Radiation Protection Advisor (DNIRPA) or the University Non-Ionising Radiation Protection Advisor (UNIRPA). Their contact details are listed in Specialist Safety Roles.
For laser safety go to the Laser Safety Standard and Laser Pointers webpages.
The AOR Standard
forms
part of the University's
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy for controlling health and safety risks
arising from UV, IR and optical radiation sources and compliance with the
Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010.
In accordance with the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy, all employees and
students are therefore required to comply with the AOR Safety Standard. Also,
the AOR Safety Standard and its implementation in the University will be
periodically audited as part of the University’s health and safety management
system.
Heads of Department/Section have overall responsibility for ensuring their department complies with the University’s requirements relating to the control of health and safety risks arising from AOR sources
Academic Supervisors
are responsible for the safety of staff and students whilst they are under their
supervision, which includes ensuring that they understand the health and safety
risks associated with academic activities and follow health and safety
instructions.
Principal Investigators
are responsible for the
health and safety management of their research projects and must ensure AOR
hazards are assessed during the planning of the project and kept under review
throughout.
Students
follow the University’s and their
department’s health and safety arrangements, and any instructions given to them
by a member of staff for their health and safety.
Managers are
responsible for the implementation of AOR
Safety Standard in their area of control.
Managers, principal investigators
and academic supervisors will be referred to
as responsible
persons in this Standard
from now on. In relation to work with AOR sources, they are responsible for
ensuring that the Departmental safety arrangements are implemented in their area
of responsibility
The following are advisory roles.
Departmental Non-Ionising
Radiation Protection Advisers (DNIRPAs)
Provide advice on the purchase and safe management of AOR sources that present a significant risk to health. Ensure such equipment is used in accordance with statutory requirements, the University’s Standards and local rules
University Non-Ionising Radiation
Protection Advisor (UNIRPA)
Coordinating the development and
review of University-wide policy on the safety management of AOR.
Other University health and safety
standards that may apply:
The responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is undertaken for the work before it starts with the AOR hazard. Guidance on risk assessment is available from the HSAS' Risk Assessment webpage.
An adequate risk
assessment will cover the lifecycle of the work.
Source installation
Normal operations, including testing
Maintenance and servicing
Emergency and
unforeseen circumstance
Relocation and
transportation
Decommissioning
Disposal
The risk
assessment should be reviewed periodically and updated as the nature of the work
changes by the responsible person.
The responsible person must ensure the risks from AOR exposure are controlled to below the exposure limit values. For more detail on non-coherent radiation exposure limit values go to the European Union's Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 2006/25/EC Artificial Optical Radiation, Annex 1. The risk controls must be implemented, communicated, monitored and maintained throughout the work.
For hazardous AOR sources the following control measures should be considered.
For further advice on suitable control measures go to the European Union's Non-binding guide to good practice for implementing Directive 2006/25/EC Artificial Optical Radiation, Chapter 9. Chapter 9 details risk controls for AOR sources. Your Departmental Non-Ionising Radiation Protection Advisor (DNIRPA) or the University Non-Ionising Radiation Protection Advisor (UNIRPA) can help. Their contact details are listed in Specialist Safety Roles.
Significantly hazardous sources of AOR
must not be used away from the
University without the written permission from the head of department.
The responsible person must have this permission, a risk assessment and provide
it for the DNIRPA and UNIRPA for approval. It should be done in reasonable time
before work starts off site.
The head of department should ensure adequate training for all AOR workers and others who may be affected by the work. It is the responsibility of the responsible person to ensure AOR workers receive appropriate training before work starts.
The basic training should cover the AOR hazard, the possible harm to skin and eyes and the risk controls in place to protect AOR workers, including emergency procedures and, where appropriate, the need for health surveillance. Suitable refresher training should be given by the responsible person at regular intervals to AOR workers and when there are significant changes in the risk assessment. When required, additional training specific to the work process and source can supplement the basic training.
Other workers not directly associated with the work, but could be affected by
the source (for example cleaners, maintenance workers, serving contractors, other
University employees etc.) identified in the risk assessment require AOR
training that covers their risk of exposure. Again, the training should identify
the AOR hazards, the potential harm and risk controls in place to protect them
whilst carrying out their work.
The DNIRPA, or DHSO/HSLO where applicable, will maintain an up to date training record for AOR training and have it available to the UNIRPA.
Health and safety incidents
involving AOR sources should be reported as soon as possible to the DNIRPA and
the UNIRPA using the
University's Health and Safety Incident Reporting procedure and forms.
Injured people whose eyes or skin may have been over-exposed to AOR should seek medical assistance immediately. It is strongly recommended that the emergency details form part of the departmental AOR health and safety arrangements.
It is expected that the risk controls will protect workers and others at risk
from AOR over-exposure. If it is believed someone has been over-exposed, an
appropriate medical examination and possible follow-up health surveillance will
be necessary.
Servicing and maintenance of AOR sources by external contractors needs to be managed by the department. Advanced planning and communication with the contractor, the responsible person and the DNIRPA to ensure adequate risk assessments for proposed work takes place. The contractor must submit a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and method statement to the DNIRPA and responsible person for approval. This should be done in reasonable time before the work commences. The work may require a Permit to Work. Estate Management Section has advice on Permits to Work and when they are required.
