From Department of Health
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Commonly known as the Basic Safety Standards (BSS) Directive.
From 6 February 2018, COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 2013/59/EURATOM laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation will apply.
Overall responsibility for transposing the Directive rests with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment and it will deal with the provisions which protect workers and members of the public from the harmful effects of exposure to all ionising radiation. This legislation will be enforced by the EPA’s Office of Radiological Protection (ORP).
The provisions under the remit of the Department of Health deal exclusively with protection against the dangers of medical exposures from ionising radiation. Medical exposures in the BSS Directive is defined as “exposure incurred by patients or asymptomatic individuals as part of their own medical or dental diagnosis or treatment, and intended to benefit their health, as well as exposure incurred by carers and comforters and by volunteers in medical or biomedical research”. This legislation will be enforced by HIQA.
The existing medical ionising radiation regulations, the European Communities (Medical Ionising Radiation Protection) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 478 of 2002) as amended, which transpose Council Directive 97/43/EURATOM, will be revoked.
While most of the provisions in the BSS Directive are binding on Member States there are some articles where Ireland has discretion on how they are transposed into Irish Law. It is in this regard that the Department of Health requests input from stakeholders into the questions listed below.
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 2013/59/EURATOM of 5 December 2013 laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/Euratom, 96/29/Euratom, 97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom
All enquiries and submissions should be directed to EHU@health.gov.ie