Section 180-7-022 - TRAINING FOR RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER OR ASSOCIATE RADIATION SAFETY OFFICEROther than provided in 180 NAC 7-026, the licensee must require an individual fulfilling the responsibilities of the RSO or an individual assigned duties and tasks as ARSO as provided in 180 NAC 7-015 to meet the following requirements:
(A) The individual must be certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the Department, an Agreement State or the NRC and who meets the requirements in 180 NAC 7-022.04. The names of board certifications that have been recognized by the NRC or an Agreement State are posted on the NRC's Medical Uses Licensee Toolkit website. To have its certification process recognized, a specialty board must require all candidates for certification to:(i) For bachelor's or graduate degrees: (1) Hold a bachelor's or graduate degree from an accredited college or university in physical science or engineering or biological science with a minimum of 20 college credits in physical science;(2) Have five or more years of professional experience in health physics, graduate training may be substituted for no more than two years of the required experience, including at least three years in applied health physics; and(3) Pass an examination administered by diplomates of the specialty board, which evaluates knowledge and competence in radiation physics and instrumentation, radiation protection, mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity, radiation biology, and radiation dosimetry; or(ii) For master's and doctor's degrees: (1) Hold a master's or doctor's degree in physics, medical physics, other physical science, engineering, or applied mathematics from an accredited college or university;(2) Have two years of full-time practical training or supervised experience in medical physics: (a) Under the supervision of a medical physicist who is certified in medical physicist by a specialty board recognized by the Department, an Agreement State or the NRC; or(b) In clinical nuclear medicine facilities providing diagnostic or therapeutic services under the direction of physicians who meet the requirements for authorized users in 180 NAC 7-026, 7-047 or 7-051; and(iii) Pass an examination, administered by diplomates of the specialty board that assesses knowledge and competence in clinical diagnostic radiological or nuclear medicine physics and in radiation safety; or(B) The individual must: (i) Have completed a structured educational program consisting of both: (1) 200 hours of classroom and laboratory training in the following areas: (a) Radiation physics and instrumentation;(b) Radiation protection;(c) Mathematics pertaining to the use and measurement of radioactivity;(d) Radiation biology; and(e) Radiation dosimetry; and(2) One year of full-time radiation safety experience under the supervision of the individual identified as the RSO on an NRC or an Agreement State license or permit issued by an NRC master material licensee that authorizes similar type or types of use or uses of radioactive material. An ARSO may provide supervision for those areas for which the ARSO is authorized on an NRC or an Agreement State license or permit issued by an NRC master material licensee. The full-time radiation safety experience must involve the following: (a) Shipping, receiving, and performing related radiation surveys; (b) Using and performing checks for proper operation of instruments used to determine the activity of dosages, survey meters, and instruments used to measure radionuclides;(c) Securing and controlling radioactive material; (d) Using administrative controls to avoid mistakes in the administration of radioactive material;(e) Using procedures to prevent or minimize radioactive contamination and using proper decontamination procedures;(f) Using emergency procedures to control radioactive material;(g) Disposing of radioactive material; and(ii) Obtain a written attestation, signed by a preceptor RSO or ARSO, who has experience with the radiation safety aspects of similar types of use of radioactive material for which the individual is seeking approval as an RSO or as an ARSO. The written attestation must state that the individual has satisfactorily completed the requirements in 180 180 NAC 7-022(B)(i) and 180 NAC 7-022 (D), and is able to independently fulfill the radiation safety related duties as a radiation safety officer or as an associate radiation safety officer for medical use license; or(C) The individual must: (i) Be a medical physicist certified by a specialty board whose certification process has been recognized by the Department, the NRC or an Agreement State in 180 NAC 7-023(A) and has experience in radiation safety for similar types of use of radioactive material for which the licensee is seeking the approval of the individual as RSO or an ARSO, and who meets the requirement in 180 NAC 7-022(D); or(ii) Be an authorized user, authorized medical physicist, or authorized nuclear pharmacist identified on the Department, the NRC or an Agreement State license, a permit issued by NRC master material licensee, a permit issued by the NRC or an Agreement State licensee of broad scope, or a permit issued by the NRC master material license broad scope permittee, has experience with the radiation safety aspects of similar types of use of radioactive material for which the licensee seeks the approval of the individual as the RSO or ARSO, and meets the requirements in 180 NAC 7-022(D); or(iii) Have experience with the radiation safety aspects of the types of use of radioactive material for which the individual is seeking simultaneous approval both as the RSO and the authorized user on the same new medical use license or new medical use permit issued by a Commission master material licensee. The individual must also meet the requirements in 180 NAC 7-022(D); and(D) An individual who has training in the radiation safety, regulatory issues and emergency procedures for the types of use for which a licensee seeks approval. This training requirement may be satisfied by completing training supervised by a RSO, an ARSO, authorized medical physicist, authorized nuclear pharmacist, or authorized user as appropriate, who is authorized for the type or types of use for which the licensee is seeking approval.180 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 7, § 022
Amended effective 11/3/2020Amended effective 6/14/2023