Ionizing radiation is addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry, maritime, and construction. This section highlights OSHA standards and documents related to occupational exposures to ionizing radiation.

This section also provides an overview of the responsibilities of other federal agencies and states regarding occupational radiation protection. Briefly:

• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulates exposure to radioactive materials. This includes source material (uranium and thorium), special nuclear material (enriched uranium and plutonium), by-product material (e.g., material made radioactive in a reactor and residue from the millings of uranium and thorium), accelerator produced radioactive materials, and discrete sources of radium.¹
• OSHA requires employers to protect workers from exposure to ionizing radiation sources that are not regulated by the NRC or other federal agencies, such as X-ray equipment, some accelerators, incidental accelerator-produced radioactive materials, ion implanters, and some naturally-occurring radioactive material (NORM).
• States also regulate occupational exposure to ionizing radiation. NRC Agreement States regulate occupational exposure to radioactive materials within their borders. These states may also regulate occupational exposure to radiation sources that NRC does not, including radiation-producing machines (e.g., X-ray machines, particle accelerators) and NORM. OSHA State Plans have OSHA-approved standards and enforcement programs that are at least as effective as federal OSHA's. The State Plans may have more stringent requirements for occupational exposures to ionizing radiation when compared to federal requirements.

OSHA Standards

OSHA's Ionizing Radiation standards protect workers in:

• General industry (29 CFR 1910.1096).
• Construction (29 CFR 1926.53).
• Shipyard employment (29 CFR 1915.57 and, to the extent it applies, 29 CFR 1910.1096).
• Marine terminals (29 CFR 1910.1096, to the extent it applies).
• Longshoring (29 CFR 1910.1096, to the extent it applies).

The construction standard for ionizing radiation (29 CFR 1926.53) incorporates by reference the provisions of the general industry standard (29 CFR 1910.1096), in addition to requiring a competent person to perform activities involving the use of radioactive materials or X-rays (see 29 CFR 1926.53(b)).

While some shipyard employment operations are covered by OSHA's Uses of Fissionable Material in Ship Repairing and Shipbuilding standard (29 CFR 1915.57), the general industry standard for ionizing radiation (29 CFR 1910.1096) also applies across the maritime sector to activities on vessels and on shore, including in shipyard employment, marine terminals (see 29 CFR 1917.1(a)(2)(vii)), and longshoring (see 29 CFR 1918.1(b)(5)).

The tables below outline OSHA's standards for ionizing radiation and related hazards.

OSHA standards cover all workers in the private sector, as well as civilian employees of most federal entities. State and local government employees are covered if they are in one of the 28 states and two territories that operate their own OSHA-approved state plans.

• No employer shall possess, use, or transfer sources of ionizing radiation in such a manner as to cause any individual in a restricted area to receive, in any period of one calendar quarter from sources in the employer's possession and control, a dose in excess of the following limits:
  • Whole body: head and trunk; active blood-forming organs; lens of eyes; or gonads: 1.25 rem per quarter
  • Hands and forearms; feet and ankles: 18.75 rem per quarter
  • Skin of whole body: 7.5 rem per quarter
• An employer may permit an individual in a restricted area to receive doses to the whole body greater than those permitted above, so long as: during any calendar quarter, the dose to the whole body shall not exceed 3 rem; and the dose to the whole body, when added to the accumulated occupational dose to the whole body, shall not exceed 5(N-18) rem, where “N” equals the individual's age in years at the individual's last birthday; and the employer maintains adequate past and current exposure records which show that the addition of such a dose will not cause the individual to exceed the amount authorized in the standard.
• No employer shall permit any employee under 18 years of age to receive in any period of one calendar quarter a dose in excess of 10 percent of the limits specified in the first bullet point above.
• Every employer shall supply appropriate personal monitoring equipment, such as film badges, pocket chambers, pocket dosimeters, or film rings, and shall require the use of such equipment by each employee who enters a restricted area under such circumstances that he receives, or is likely to receive, a dose in any calendar quarter in excess of 25 percent of the applicable occupational limit.

Under OSHA's Ionizing Radiation standard (29 CFR 1910.1096), employers must:

• Ensure that occupational dose limits are not exceeded (1910.1096(b) and (c)).
• Survey radiation hazards in order to comply with the standard (1910.1096(d)(1)).
• Supply appropriate personal monitoring (e.g., dosimeters) (1910.1096(d)(2)).
• Post caution signs, labels, and signals (1910.1096(e)).
• Provide instruction to personnel and post-operating procedures (1910.1096(i)).

See the full Ionizing Radiation Standard for all requirements.