Do you have a concern about how much exposure there may be from the sun or an artificial ultraviolet radiation (UVR) source?
Sources of UVR hazards
The sun is the greatest UVR hazard for people in Australia but there are also many industrial processes and situations where people can be exposed to high levels of UVR from artificial sources.
Artificial sources of UVR include welding, tanning beds, nail curing devices, signature recognition, bug zappers, lights for fluorescence, curing of printing inks, medical devices and sterilisation and purification equipment.
Whilst many of these devices have safety features built in there can still be a risk if proper precautions are not taken to prevent exposures above what is considered a safe level.
Standards
There is a Radiation Protection Standard for UVR in Occupational settings: Occupational Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation: Radiation Protection Series No. 12 (ARPANSA, 2006), and our hazard assessments are evaluated against this standard.
UVR hazard assessment at ARPANSA
ARPANSA can evaluate solar and artificial UVR hazards in workplaces and public environments and assess them against the exposure limits from the standard.
ARPANSA can also perform exposure studies so employers can determine the risks to their employees from their UVR exposures and implement recommendations for controlling the risk of UV exposure, if necessary.
Each hazard assessment is different and needs to be discussed with ARPANSA to determine what type of assessment is required. A variety of equipment may be used depending on the particular hazard being evaluated.
Some of the typical assessments that ARPANSA can undertake include:
- assessment of UVR exposure levels of workers engaged in outdoor occupations
- measurement of exposures from artificial sources of UVR in workplace situations
- assessment of UVR sources for industrial processes and medical applications
- assessment of lamps for domestic and commercial use
- assessment of the protection provided by protective equipment, roofing materials, windows and transparent building materials from UVR hazards in occupational and public environments.
Contact ARPANSA UVR Services at uvr-services@arpansa.gov.au for further information.
