Regulatory Inspections
Regulatory inspections are conducted for all new facilities before a licence is issued to verify compatibility of the facility for radiation protection requirements of the Council. Inspections are also conducted for existing licensed facilities during the period of the licence. An inspection is not mandatory for renewal of a licence. The inspection period is not specified in the Act or regulations. Inspection is normally carried out during the licence period and for some practices more than one inspection during the period of licence may be conducted. Inspections for some facilities where category 1 sources are installed involve both safety and security inspections. Regulatory inspections are always announced inspection and attend two or more inspectors. These inspections covers General observations of the sources and facility , Radiation surveys of sources and facility, verification of administrative arrangements for safety of the workers, patients and the public and security arrangements (as relevant) provided for the sources.
After an inspection, inspection report is prepared of the finding and report is submitted to the relevant institute. Recommendations are given for improvements of safety and security measures if any shortcoming on safety or security are observed during the inspection. If any non-compliance is detected, depending on the severity, appropriate written instructions are given to take remedial action giving a timeframe.
Regulatory Inspections are carried out for following scenarios
- At the licencing of New Facilities
- At the renewal of licences
- At the issuance of modification licences
Unannounced Inspections
The Council also conducts unannounced inspections at selected institutes to check whether activities are conducted in accordance with the licence condition and also to verify that the noncompliance found have been implemented as per recommendations given in the previous inspection reports. These inspections are carried out free of charge.
On-request Inspections
On-request inspections are conducted only for special cases at the request of a licence holder or a Customer who have not yet obtained a licence. After these inspections, comprehensive report or immediate approval certificate according to the inspection type is issued. These inspections are normally conducted for measurement of radioactivity levels of irradiated gem stones, import/export of sand, rocks samples, checking of suitability of instruments installed at any radiation facility, inspections for suspected containers etc. For an on request inspection customer or licencee has to pay inspection charges as determined by the Council.
Enforcement Inspections
The authorized inspectors of the Council are empowered to take enforcement actions regarding non-compliances in consultation with the Director General. When severe noncompliance is observed and no reply is received by the Council from the relevant user after two reminders, an enforcement inspection is carried out to take evidence for taking legal actions. The report is submitted to the Director General for a decision.
Urgent Inspections
Urgent inspections are carried out with regards to the emergency situations and as decided by the Council based on the importance of the inspection for public & patients benefits.
Follow-up Inspections
Follow-up inspection is carried out to check whether the recommendations given by a previous inspection, are implemented and acceptable to the requirements of the Council from the radiation protection point of view.
Inspections of sources for Import/Export and Transport Purposes
These types of inspections are carried out to check whether the packages and transport documents are complied with the international & national standards and guidelines for the type of radioactive materials are being transported. These inspections are conducted at the request of the user upon submission of transport documents.