MINUTES
24 June 2015
	Miranda, NSW	
Chair	Roslyn Drummond (other member)		
Members	Keith Baldry (SA) Ross Bevan (ACT), Brad Cassells (VIC), Simon Critchley (QLD), Leif Dahlskog (WA), Bruce Hocking (other member), Peter Karamoskos (person representing public interests), Carl-Magnus Larsson (ARPANSA), Robert Lyon (NSC representative), Len Potapof (NSW), Russell Robinson (NT), Barbara Shields (TAS)	
Secretary	Diane Harrison assisted by Peter Colgan & Narelle Smith	
Apologies	Nil	
Observers	Jack Dillich, Peter Johnston, Stephen Solomon (all from ARPANSA), Don Macnab (NSC)	
Invitee	James Hart - Manager, Environmental Services, AUSGRID	
1.	STANDING ITEMS
Item 1.1	Welcome & apologies			Chair	
The meeting opened at 0930.  The Chair made a minor adjustment to the agenda, moving Item 4.5 to become Item 3.3.
Item 1.2	Previous minutes			Chair	
The minutes from the previous meeting held on 25 March 2015 were confirmed out of session.  There were no further comments.
Item 1.3	Business arising from previous minutes & Action List			Chair	
Many of the items in the action list were noted as complete or the subject of an agenda item.  Items 3, 5, 6 & 7 (from the March meeting) were deferred; Items 1 & 12 from the November 2014, remain open. With regard to Item 4 from November 2014, Mr Dahlskog indicated that WA will not endorse the Regulatory Expectations in their current form; there was no further update from the ACT. 

Item 1.4	Correspondence			Chair	
The Committee noted the following correspondence: 
1.4.1	Letter of thanks to Keith Baldry
1.4.2	Letter of thanks to Hazel Upton
1.4.3	Letter of thanks to Andrew Kerans	

Item 1.5	Public Interest Issues	P Karamoskos	
1)	Amendments to the ARPANS Act
2)	South Australian Royal Commission
3)	Body composition scans 
Dr Karamoskos raised concern about the increasing use of DEXA scanning by physiotherapists and other groups promoting treatment for weight loss and performance enhancement, without medical justification. Although the dose per scan is reportedly less than 10 µSv, multiple repeat studies are being encouraged so cumulative dose may be an issue. 
Further investigation into equipment and dose is needed to see if any regulatory action is warranted. Mr Dahlskog and Dr Karamoskos agreed to produce a discussion paper for the next meeting with assistance from ARPANSA’s Medical Radiation Services Branch.
ACTION 1: Prepare discussion paper on DEXA body composition scanning (LD, PK, MRS) 
Item 1.6	Conflict of Interest		Chair	
No conflict of interest was declared. 
Item 1.7	Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council 	CM Larsson	
The Council has been appointed and the first meeting scheduled for 2-3 July.  
Item 1.8	Nuclear Safety Committee	R Lyon	
Mr Lyon provided a summary of the NSC meeting held on 19 June 2015.  The main item of discussion was in response to the CEO’s request for advice in regard to the options available for the regulation of an expanded nuclear industry within Australia should one or more of the four matters being considered by the South Australian Royal Commission be pursued. The NSC will produce written advice.  
The NSC discussed other matters relating to development of an ARPANSA guide on Regulation 54 applications, a RPS Code based on IAEA DS 456 Leadership and Management for Safety, regulatory matters in relation to ANSTO, and changes to the ARPANS Act.  
2.	NATIONAL UNIFORMITY

Item 2.1	2018	 IRRS Mission to Australia				C-M Larsson	
The Committee noted the summary of responses received to date from the jurisdictions.  Dr Larsson noted that responses from South Australia and Tasmania are cautiously positive, but underwhelming from others. Mr Dahlskog indicated that a response from the WA Director General of Health should be on its way in the near future indicating cautious support. Victoria and the Northern Territory indicated likely support, pending further information.  Although there is in-principle support from South Australia, Mr Baldry indicated that participation by all jurisdictions was an important part of its involvement. 
In view of the Royal Commission, Dr Larsson suggested it would be prudent for Australia to open itself up to international scrutiny. Dr Solomon highlighted opportunities the mission could bring in terms of good news, gaps, and impetus for additional resources. Members noted the proposal for a reduced scope and offer of assistance.  
The matter will be reassessed when all responses are received.  A formal request for the mission has yet to be made by the Minister.
ACTION 2: Encourage a response to the invitation to participate in the IRRS mission (VIC & NT members) 

Guest Presentation		
Mr James Hart from AUSGRID gave a presentation on the development of an Industry EMF Handbook.  While the Committee is not in a position to endorse the handbook, it recognises the industry’s initiative to promote national uniformity based on world’s best practice.

Item 2.2	NNDRP Schedule 13 criteria for mining, mineral processing & 		K Baldry
NNORM residue management	
The Committee noted a commitment in the NDRP to include Schedule 13 reporting criteria for mining in future editions and discussed the new criteria proposed for mining and mineral processing of uranium and other NORM, and for uranium and other NORM residue management.  Based on the discussion, Mr Baldry undertook to revise the wording of the proposed criteria and circulate to members out of session before wider consultation is undertaken. 
 
ACTION 3: Revise the criteria for mining, mineral processing and NORM residue management proposed for Schedule 13 of the NDRP and circulate out of session (KB)

3.	RHC WORK PROGRAM

Item 3.1	Progress on RHC projects						Project Managers	
3.1.1 Progress chart and PM reports
The Committee heard progress reports for the following projects that are not the subject of a separate agenda item:
Planned Exposure Code		
PM: K Baldry	

The comments period has officially ended but some late comments will be accepted. 
Revision of RPS 14 (including GSR 3)	
PM: S Critchley	

A draft is expected to be available for the November meeting. Inconsistency in use of terms such as ‘responsible person’, ‘proponent, and ‘operator’ in some of the draft codes was raised.  Working groups should aim for consistency with the Fundamentals and IAEA requirements documents.   
Existing Exposure Situations	PM: K Baldry	
Mr Baldry reported no progress.  Reference levels need to be considered and agreed before this and the emergency code are developed in parallel.   
Management Systems & Safety Culture 	PM: R Lyon 	
Mr Lyon reported that the IAEA Code is likely to be published in early 2016. The Technical Support Officer has left ARPANSA but the working group still hopes to have a draft, reviewed by the NSC and RHC by the end of the year. 

IPLs & Lasers	PM: S Critchley
Public comment is currently being sought on the Regulatory Impact Statement. The Committee was informed that laser incidents have recently occurred in Queensland.  The Committee was further informed of an emerging issue regarding inadequate labelling or incorrect classification of laser pointers. 
A presentation on lasers given by CSIRO at a recent licence holder forum may be of interest and will be provided to Members.  
ACTION 4: Circulate copy of CSIRO laser presentation to Members (NURS)  

User Disposal	PM: B Shields	
Amendment 7 of the NDRP is still progressing through AHMAC. 

Protection of the Environment	PM: B Cassels	
There has been no progress on the guide due to commitments associated with the Royal Commission.  The working group is only weeks away from seeking final approval. 

3.1.2 Review of RHS 30, RHS 15 & RHS 16	Author: P Colgan	PM: B Shields	
The Committee noted the current status of RHS documents, particularly RHS 15, RHS 16, & RHS 30, and the safety policy developments in the areas covered by RHS 30.  

Mr Dillich informed members about an Australian Government initiative to adopt ‘Trusted International Standards’ (TIS) across Australia to standardise practices and minimise unnecessary work. Mr Dillich agreed to present a paper at the next meeting to facilitate broader discussion on TIS.  
 
The Committee agreed to advise the CEO of ARPANSA to withdraw RHS 15, RHS 16 and RHS 30 hence the project to revise RHS 30 will be discontinued. The Committee noted ARPANSA’s intention to reference ICNIRP 2010 for guidance on ELF exposure and agreed to the following statement supporting this action for the ARPANSA website:

The Radiation Health Committee agreed at its 24 June 2015 meeting that it would withdraw the existing NHMRC RHS30 guidance on ELF exposure.  The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has issued Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric and Magnetic Fields (1 Hz -100 kHz) (PDF 641 kb) which are aimed at preventing the established health effects resulting from exposure to ELF EMF. The ICNIRP ELF guidelines are consistent with ARPANSA’s and the RHC's understanding of the scientific basis for the protection of people from exposure to ELF EMF. Details about ICNIRP and a link to the ICNIRP ELF guidelines are available from the ARPANSA website at International Best Practice. 

Dr Larsson acknowledged the efforts of all those involved in the ELF project over many years and advised that the work will be published in another form.  

ACTION 5: Prepare paper on adoption of Trusted International Standards for November meeting (JD)
ACTION 6: Arrange for update of the ARPANSA website (NURS)

3.1.3 Emergency Exposure Code	Author: M Grzechnik	PM: B Cassels	
The Committee noted the proposed outline of the Emergency Code and agreed that it should be a short, high level document with a tight scope.  Members agreed to provide comments on the proposed conceptual approach for developing the code and the safety guide to the project manager within a month.
 
The Committee discussed the proposed reference levels for Australian radiation emergency planning. Members noted that acceptance from a broader audience and the public will be a challenge, hence the need for a discussion document that defines credible reference levels. Members were asked to provide feedback on the discussion paper via a Govdex discussion page to be established. 

It was suggested that the public be consulted early in the process to increase acceptance. Dr Larsson suggested the issue be raised at the 2015 ARPS conference; Mr Bevan and A/Prof Cassels agreed to arrange a forum.  Following the conference, a further discussion paper will be developed for broader consultation. 

ACTION 7: Provide comments on development of Emergency Exposure Code by 24 July (All Members)
ACTION 8: Establish Govdex forum for discussion of Reference Levels (NURS) 
ACTION 9: Provide comments on reference level discussion paper (All Members)
ACTION 10: Arrange Reference Level Forum at the ARPS 2015 conference (RB & BC) 
3.1.4	NIR Fundamentals	Author: R Tinker	PM: CM Larsson	
The Committee noted the World Health Organisation (WHO) project to develop International Basic Safety Requirements for Non-Ionising Radiation, including Fundamental Safety Principles, and supported ARPANSA’s participation.  The Committee agreed to suspend the RHC project to develop Australian specific NIR Fundamentals and noted that ARPANSA will provide periodic updates on the progress of the WHO project as key milestones are achieved.  
3.1.5 Disposal of Radioactive Waste	Author: G Williams	PM: D Macnab	
The Committee noted the second draft of the Code ‘Disposal of Solid Radioactive Waste’.  Concerns were raised about potential copyright issues arising from taking excerpts from IAEA SSR 5 rather than referencing the entire document.  The Committee agreed that Section 3 should be changed to refer to SSR 5 (as for the Transport Code RPS C-2).
Comments were requested on content, scope and format within a month, after which a revised draft will be sent back to the Committee for consideration of its suitability for public consultation. 
 ACTION 11: Provide comments on draft disposal code by 24 July (All Members)

 Item 3.2		Changes to RPS 9 Table A2	K Baldry	
The Committee approved the proposed changes to RPS9 Radiation Protection and Radioactive Waste Management in Mining and Mineral Processing, Table A2 Regulatory Authorities 

 Item 3.3		Status of incident reporting to the ARIR	J Ward	
Mr Ward spoke to his paper on reporting statistics. Reporting for the 2013/14 year has been extended to the end of July. State and territory members were asked to encourage full reporting of radiation incidents within their respective jurisdiction and provide more information on contributing causes in their reports to the ARIR.  Future analyses will consider the type or cause of incidents and highlight non-uniformity of reporting practices. 
4. GENERAL INFORMATION ITEMS

 Item 4.1	South Australian Royal Commission	CM Larsson		
Discussed under Item 1.5 

 Item 4.2	International Liaison				
The Committee noted reports on meetings of the IAEA Commission on Safety Standards (April 2015); Joint Convention (May 2015) & WHO (NIR Basic Safety Requirements) (May 2015)

 Item 4.3	International Publications		
The Committee noted Draft TECDOC: Guidance on radionuclide activity concentrations for food and drinking water. 

 Item 4.4	Public Interest in RPS Publications					
The Committee noted the download statistics for RPS and RHS publications from Nov 2013 – June 2015. 

 Item 4.6	Advisory Body Meeting Schedule					
The Committee noted the meeting schedule for the remainder of 2015.  Dates for RHSAC (after July) are still to be confirmed.
5. OTHER BUSINESS
Nil
Next meeting	18 November 2015  	Venue:  TBC	
Close	1550