Ionising Radiation
The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) are designed to ensure the safe use of ionising radiation in medical settings. These regulations establish clear responsibilities for employers, referrers, and practitioners, ensuring compliance with essential safety standards. The key objectives include:
- Minimising unintended, excessive, or incorrect exposures
- Justifying each exposure to ensure the benefits outweigh the risks
- Optimising diagnostic doses to keep them as low as reasonably practicable
Our experienced team ensures full compliance with industry regulations, offering efficient and comprehensive occupational health services tailored to your needs.
Further Information
This examination is required for individuals classified as “classified workers” due to their exposure to ionising radiation. This includes those who may be exposed to:
- More than 6 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation per year
- More than 15 mSv per year to the eyes, skin, or extremities
Our examination includes the following assessments:
- Initial Procedures: Height, weight, and blood pressure measurements
- Medical Examination: Review of previous radiation dose records, sickness and absence records, and lifetime radiation exposure data
- Physical Assessment: Listening to the heart and lungs, and taking a comprehensive medical history
- Fitness Determination: The occupational health physician evaluates the results to determine fitness for working with radiation
- The examination typically takes approximately 30 minutes
- A qualified Occupational Health Technician or Registered Occupational Health Nurse will conduct the examination
- A certified HSE-approved Occupational Health Physician interprets the results
- The certificate is valid for 1 year
- You will receive a summary of your results, and your employer will receive a fitness-for-work certificate
- Photo ID (passport or driving licence)
- Eyewear and contact lens solution (if applicable)
- A list of current medications
- Relevant medical records related to existing conditions
Comfortable clothing, activewear, and trainers are recommended
- Ionising radiation is a type of energy that can remove electrons from atoms, leading to changes in chemical composition. In living tissue, this can cause DNA damage, cell death, or mutations
- Our HSE-appointed doctors conduct medicals for lead, asbestos, and ionising radiation, as required by the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002, Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2012, and Ionising Radiation Regulations 2018
- Medicals are performed periodically by doctors with postgraduate occupational medical qualifications and HSE authorisation for medical surveillance
- Failure to disclose symptoms or concerns may prevent the occupational health professional from fully assessing your fitness for work, delaying necessary interventions
- If you wish to bring a chaperone, please notify us in advance
- Certificate validation is subject to individual medical results and employer-specific criteria, with validation periods serving as general guidelines that may vary based on personal circumstances