A radiation protection service for schools

Radioisotopes, nuclear radiations and X‐rays are now used for practical work in many school physics, chemistry and biology departments, and one may expect this type of work to increase rapidly as revision and modernisation of GCE ‘O’‐ and ‘A’‐level syllabuses takes place. At present the Department of Education and Science gives guidance to schools, colleges of further education, and teacher training colleges on the use of ionising radiations, in an administrative memorandum (1/65) which was issued in January of this year. The memorandum is concerned primarily with establishments working at low radiation levels and which are exempt from the Radioactive Substances Act, 1962. Colleges, and the very few schools working at higher radiation levels are governed for safety requirements by the ‘Code of Practice for the Protection of Persons Exposed to Ionising Radiations in Research and Teaching’, which was recently issued by the Ministry of Labour acting with the advice of the Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee. This code states that such establishments must appoint suitably qualified Radiological Safety Officers (RSO) to carry out its recommendations.