Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Title |
|---|---|
| ACDS | Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service |
| ANAO | Australian National Audit Office |
| ANM | Nuclear Medicine Facility |
| ANRDR | Australian National Radiation Dose Register |
| ANSTO | Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation |
| APS | Australian Public Service |
| ARPANS Act | Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 |
| ARPANSA | Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority |
| ASG | Agency Security Group |
| BeOSL | Beryllium Oxide Optically Stimulated Luminescence |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer |
| CPRs | Commonwealth Procurement Rules |
| CT | computed tomography |
| CTBTO | Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization |
| DIIS | Department of Industry, Innovation and Science |
| DRL | Diagnostic Reference Level |
| DTAG | Digital Transformation Advisory Group |
| DTS | Digital Technology section |
| EPF | Eye Protection Factor |
| EA | Enterprise Agreement |
| EG | Executive Group |
| FOI | Freedom of Information |
| GSR | General Safety Requirements |
| IAEA | International Atomic Energy Agency |
| ICG | International Coordination Group |
| IMS | Integrated Management System |
| IRC | Ionising Radiation Calibrations |
| IRRS | Integrated Regulatory Review Service |
| KPI | Key performance indicators |
| LMS | Learning Management System |
| Mo‑99 | Molybdenum-99 |
| MoU | memoranda of understanding |
| NATA | National Association of Testing Authorities |
| NDRP | National Directory for Radiation Protection |
| NRWMF | National Radioactive Waste Management Facility |
| NSC | Nuclear Safety Committee |
| OCEO | Office of the CEO |
| OPAL | Open Pool Australian Lightwater |
| PBS | Portfolio Budget Statements |
| PGPA Act | Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 |
| PGPA Rule | Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2014 |
| PMAG | Project Management Advisory Group |
| PSPF | Protective Security Policy Framework |
| RHC | Radiation Health Committee |
| RPF | Regulator Performance Framework |
| RPS | Radiation Protection Series |
| SCF | Staff Consultative Forum |
| SES | Senior Executive Service |
| SMC | Strategic Management Committee |
| SME | Small and Medium Enterprises |
| SPF | Sun Protection Factor |
| TASL-n | Track Analysis System Ltd (neutrons) |
| UPF | Ultraviolet Protection Factor |
| UV(R) | Ultraviolet (radiation) |
| WHS | Work Health and Safety |
| WHS Act | Work Health and Safety Act 2011 |
Glossary
| Glossary term | Glossary definition |
|---|---|
| accident | An unintended event which causes, or has the potential to cause, employees or members of the public to be exposed to radiation from which the individual doses or collective doses received do not lie within the range of variation which is acceptable for normal operation. An accident may result from human error, equipment failure or other mishap; it may require emergency action to save life or to safeguard health, property or the environment; it requires investigation of its causes and consequences and, possibly, corrective action within the program for control of radiation; and it may require remedial action to mitigate its consequences. |
| Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service (ACDS) | The ACDS is a national independent dosimetry auditing program, providing quality assurance for radiation oncology facilities and patients. |
| Australian National Radiation Dose Register | A centralised repository for the radiation dose records of workers as supplied by the employers, maintained by ARPANSA. It is currently limited to those engaged in the uranium mining and milling industry in Australia. |
| Australian Radiation Incident Register (ARIR) | The ARIR is Australia's national database of incidents and events, where radiation or radioactivity was implicated. The purpose of the ARIR is to raise awareness on where, how and why incidents and events occur, and how they can be best prevented. |
| Beryllium Oxide (BeO) Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) | A dosimetric system using OSL of BeO developed by the radiation physics group in Dresden. Blue light LED stimulation and reading of luminescence light with an enclosed photo sensor module are performed from opposite detector sides. A software controls stimulation, records the amplified and digitised photo sensor signal and generates a unified OSL signal. With the help of calibration these OSL signals can be used to specify dose. |
| ConvEx | International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Convention Exercises. These are full-scale exercises designed to evaluate international emergency response arrangements and capabilities for a severe nuclear or radiological emergency over several days, regardless of its cause. |
| diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) | Dose levels for medical exposures in medical radio-diagnostic practices, or levels of activity in the case of radiopharmaceuticals, applied to groups of standard-sized patients or standard phantoms for common types of diagnostic examination and broadly defined types of equipment. These levels are expected not to be consistently exceeded for standard procedures when good and normal practice regarding diagnostic and technical performance is applied. DRLs will be set by relevant professional bodies and published by ARPANSA or the relevant regulatory authority from time to time. |
| dose | A generic term which may mean absorbed dose, equivalent dose or effective dose depending on context. |
| dosimetry | The theory and application of the principles and techniques involved in the measurement, calculation and recording of radiation doses. |
| exposure | The circumstance of being exposed to radiation. |
| hot commissioning | A phase in the commissioning process which refers to testing a facility using active sources of radiation. |
| incident | An event which causes, or has the potential to cause, abnormal exposure of employees or of members of the public and which requires investigation of its causes and consequences and may require corrective action within the program for control of radiation, but which is not of such scale as to be classified as an accident. |
| Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) | A peer review and appraisal service offered by the IAEA to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of a national regulatory system in nuclear, radiation, radioactive waste, transport safety and nuclear security. |
| International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) | The IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. |
| ionising radiation | Radiation which is capable of causing ionisation. |
| licence | A written authorisation issued to an operator which allows the operator to carry out an operation legally. |
| linear accelerator | Linear accelerators (linacs) are the medical devices used to deliver radiation therapy in highly targeted doses by generating directed radiation beams. These machines are used in hospitals across Australia to treat cancers. The new linac being installed at ARPANSA is an advanced model, ensuring each radiotherapy patient across Australia receives the optimal dose needed to treat their cancer. |
| medical exposure | Exposure of a person to radiation received as a patient undergoing medical diagnosis or therapy, or as a volunteer in medical research, or non-occupational exposure received as a consequence of assisting an exposed patient. |
| Molybdenum-99 | Molybdenum-99 is the precursor of technetium‑99m which is used for diagnostic imaging in medicine. |
| non-ionising radiation | Ranges from extremely low frequency radiation, through the radiofrequency, microwave, and visible portions of the spectrum into the ultraviolet range. |
| National Radioactive Waste Management Facility (NRMWF) | The proposed NRWMF will only manage waste generated in Australia. It will be designed to permanently dispose of low-level waste and potentially store intermediate-level waste on a temporary basis. The facility will only manage immobilised solid waste. Find out more at arpansa.gov.au/NRWMF-radioactive-waste. |
| occupational exposure | Exposure of a person to radiation which occurs in the course of that person’s work and excludes the component of exposure that arises from natural background radiation. |
| radiation | Electromagnetic waves or quanta, and atomic or sub-atomic particles, propagated through space or through a material medium. |
| radioactive material | Material which spontaneously emits ionising radiation as a consequence of radioactive decay. |
| radioactive waste | In Australia, radioactive waste is left after the production of nuclear medicine, research at universities, advanced industrial manufacturing and testing. Other low and intermediate waste types include soil, fire, alarms, exit signs, paper, plastic, glassware and pieces of equipment from radioisotope-producing operations. This waste emits radiation as it decays. |
| radiofrequency | Electromagnetic energy with frequencies in the range 3 kHz to 300 GHz. |
| Radiotherapy calibration (service) | Calibration is the process of configuring an instrument to provide a result for a sample within an acceptable range. ARPANSA provides calibration services for radiotherapy dosemeters. These dosemeters are used by radiotherapy providers to calibrate the output of linear accelerators and kilovoltage X-ray tubes for patient treatment. |
| radiological or nuclear emergency | An emergency in which there is, or is perceived to be, a hazard due to: a. the energy resulting from a nuclear chain reaction or from the decay of the products of a chain reaction, or b. radiation exposure. |
| radionuclide | A species of atomic nucleus which undergoes radioactive decay. |
| Radon | Radon is a radioactive noble gas which is part of the uranium decay chain. |
| Solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) | Solar UVR is invisible energy produced by the sun. It’s made up of three wavelengths, UVA, UVB and UVC. Both UVA and UVB can reach the earth’s surface and are classified as human carcinogens. This means they cause cancer. |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi is the name of a popular wireless networking technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connections. |
| X-ray | Ionising electromagnetic radiation emitted during the transition of an atomic electron to a lower energy state or during the rapid deceleration of a charged particle. |
