Owners of radiation apparatus

All owners of ionising radiation apparatus are required to have the apparatus registered and have a licence to possess a radiation source (an apparatus). It is also the responsibility of all owners to ensure their apparatus is at all times compliant with the regulations. Note that an owner can be an individual, a group of individuals or a business.

Registering an apparatus

To register an apparatus the owner of the apparatus must first submit an application to register an ionising radiation apparatus. Once an application is received and processed by the EPA, an acknowledgment letter will be sent to the owner providing information in relation to compliance testing of the apparatus and where applicable verifying its shielding. Depending on the class of apparatus the confirmation of compliance with the regulations is carried out the following ways:

• an inspection by an EPA Officer
• an inspection by an accredited tester under the third party certification program
• a declaration of compliance by the owner.

Once compliance has been confirmed, the apparatus is normally registered.

Please note, unless otherwise notified by the EPA, the apparatus may be used prior to confirmation of compliance as long as the application for its registration (including fees) has been received and processed by the EPA.

Licence to possess a radiation source

In addition to registering each apparatus, owners must have the apparatus licensed. To obtain such a licence owners must submit an application for a licence to possess an ionising radiation source.

Part of the responsibility of a licensee is to prepare and regularly (annually) update a Radiation Management Plan and maintain a Radiation Source Register.

Further information in relation to a licence to possess a radiation source is available on the FAQ page.

Sale or disposal of an apparatus

If an owner of an ionising radiation apparatus sells or otherwise disposes of an apparatus they must provide the following information to the EPA within 14 days of the sale or disposal (by letter, fax, email or the Notification by owner of sale/disposal of an x-ray apparatus form):

• name and address of the person making the sale or disposal
• registration number of the apparatus sold or disposed of
• date of the sale or disposa
• manner of the sale or disposal
• name and address of the person to whom the apparatus was sold.

Important: if you are disposing of the apparatus such that it will no longer be used, you must ensure that the apparatus is disabled in a manner that would require specialist knowledge to make the apparatus operable again. This may require the services of a suitably qualified technician or engineer.