FAQs on Revised Radiation Protection (Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2023

The key changes are summarised:

a) The regulatory approach is revised from a prescriptive, practice-based approach (e.g. specific requirements for use of sealed source for medical therapeutic purpose, use of irradiating apparatus for industrial purposes, etc.) to a performance-oriented approach based on exposure situations (i.e. occupational, medical and public exposure). To effect this change, Parts X to XV of the RP(IR)R 2000, which provided requirements for specific practices, is replaced by three new Parts on “Occupational exposure”, “Medical exposure” and “Public exposure”, in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Model Regulations. Correspondingly, the provisions under Parts V and VI of the RP(IR)R 2000 on “Control of radiation exposure” and “Medical and radiological supervision” respectively is subsumed under the new Part on “Occupational exposure”.

b) The licensing and radiation worker registration regime is revised. Please refer to Q3 – Q13 for more information.

c) Exemption provisions are aligned with latest international standards (i.e. IAEA General Safety Requirements (GSR) Part 3). The exemption provisions for maximum activities and activity concentrations of radionuclides are updated to be in line with Schedule I of the IAEA GSR Part 3, and the existing First Schedule of the RP(IR)R is replaced with Tables I.1 and I.2 of IAEA GSR Part 3.

d) Provisions for clearance of materials from regulatory control are included and the clearance criteria are established in Schedule I of IAEA GSR Part 3.

e) Provisions on justification of practices are included and practices that are deemed to be not justified are specified.

f) To further augment the changes in licensing regime, all IR1 and IR2 licensees are required to designate and maintain a list of qualified person(s) to be responsible for each apparatus or radioactive material under the licence. Licensees bear the prime responsibility for ensuring radiation protection and safety, and must designate suitably qualified persons to carry out actions and tasks related to these responsibilities.

g) New provisions for management of radioactive waste specify requirements in these areas:

• Responsibilities associated with management of radioactive waste
• Control of radioactive waste generation
• Radioactive waste characterisation and classification
• Acceptance criteria for radioactive waste
• Processing of radioactive waste from collection up to treatment
• Conditioning
• Storage of radioactive waste
• Management of disused radioactive sources
• Discharge of radioactive materials to environment
• Radioactive waste management facilities

h) There are also provisions for application and granting of approval to accumulate or transport radioactive waste in Singapore. As local disposal of radioactive waste is generally not allowed in Singapore, provisions for application and granting of approval to dispose of radioactive waste are not included. Nonetheless, radioactive waste that meets the clearance criteria would fall under the provisions for clearance and hence, would be released from regulatory control. A fee is also introduced for the application for approval to accumulate or transport radioactive waste.

i) There are new emergency preparedness and response requirements for:

• Submission of emergency response plans (where there is any risk of an emergency affecting employees, workers or members of the public)
• Responsibilities of licensees
• Implementation of intervention
• Protection of emergency workers

j) Provisions for ensuring security of radioactive materials in storage and transport are strengthened and new requirements are included for reporting of breaches of security measures.

k) There are new provisions to enable NEA to reject an application, if: (i) the applicant is not a fit or proper person to hold the licence or to be registered as a radiation worker, (ii) it is not in the public interest to do so, or (iii) the grant of the licence or registration of the applicant as a radiation worker poses a threat to public order or the national security of Singapore. Similar provisions to expressly allow NEA to suspend or cancel an existing licence or registration if any of these criteria are met is also included.

l) Requirements for sale and supply of irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials (e.g. only allowed to sell to persons authorised to possess such apparatus or radioactive materials), formerly only stipulated in licence conditions, are included in the Regulations.

m) The requirement for educational institutions to submit the name of the teacher designated to be responsible for safe storage and use of the exempted radioactive substances is amended to instead require the educational institution to ensure that a competent staff has been designated to take full responsibility for the safe and secure storage and use of such exempted radioactive substances.

n) Dose limits and weighting factors in the Second Schedule of the RP(IR)R are updated to be in line with the IAEA GSR Part 3.

The new regulatory requirements were adopted from the IAEA Model Regulations. New applicants should refer to relevant publications in the IAEA Safety Standards which provide recommendations and guidance on how to comply with requirements.

NEA will progressively reach out to existing licensees to assess if any changes need to be made by licensees to align with the new regulatory requirements. Where licensees are required to take actions or additional measures need to be put in place, NEA will work with licensees on the implementation and ensure that reasonable time is given to licensees for implementation. Existing licensees are encouraged to also refer to the IAEA Safety Standards for guidance on enhancing existing safety measures.

Separately, NEA is working with local industry experts to develop guidelines for the various applications of radiation in Singapore to provide guidance on meeting regulatory requirements and enhancing radiation safety and security. NEA is also working with them to develop training and continuous training programmes to improve the competency and radiation safety culture among radiation workers. NEA will keep licensees updated on these developments.

The ionising radiation (IR) licensing regime is changed to:

• Combine licences required for ionising irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials;
• Merge licence types for keeping or possessing for use and to use into a single licence type;
• Consolidate multiple licences for irradiating apparatus under the charge of the same person at the same site into a single site licence; and
• Remove licence validity period (i.e. life-time with an annual recurring fee).

The new licensing regime has five (5) licence types instead of the nine (9) licence types:

¹ The IR2 licence replaces the L3 and L4 licence and will also cover authorisation to use irradiating apparatus or radioactive materials. IR2 licences will be held by the organisation. As IR2 licensees are required to designate qualified persons, as part of the conversion from the L-licensing regime to the new IR-licensing regime, NEA will add L5 and L6 licensees (active as of 30 Jan 2023) as Qualified Persons under the related IR1 or IR2 licences. Former L5 and L6 licensees who engage in radiation work will fall under the radiation worker registration regime.

Before 20 Feb 2023, to manufacture, possess for sale, or deal in irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials, an organisation would require separate L1 and L2 licences. Following the regulations change with effect from 20 Feb 2023, only a single IR1 licence would be required to manufacture, possess for sale or deal in both irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials. The list of items will be listed in the Annex of the IR1 licence.

NEA will automatically convert L1 and L2 licences (active as at 30 Jan 2023) into new IR1 licences. L1 and L2 licences under the same customer profile in our database will be consolidated into a single IR1 licence. The new IR1 licence will be sent via email to the customer profile contact person within 2 - 4 weeks of the implementation of the new regulations. Organisations with multiple customer profiles to manage different groups of L1 and L2 licences will receive one IR1 licence for each profile. After the IR1 licence is issued, the L1 and L2 licences under the old regime will then be cancelled.

The anniversary of the new IR1 licence will be based on the respective L1 or L2 licence expiry date or average of the consolidated L1 and L2 licences (where applicable). The annual fee payment due date, which replaces licence expiry date, will be one day before the anniversary date. As part of the transition to the new licensing regime, a 6-month grace period for late payment of annual fee will be provided as a transitional arrangement for licences with annual payment. Moving forward, the annual fee of $210 per licence must be made before the anniversary date stated in the licence (e.g. anniversary date is on 30 Apr, annual fee payment due date is on 29 Apr of each year). For information on how to make annual payment, please refer to Q8. A summary table of the IR1 licence fees and some examples are illustrated below.

L5 and L6 licensees (active as at 30 Jan 2023) authorised to use irradiating apparatus or radioactive materials under an L1 or L2 licence will also be automatically added as a Qualified Person (QP) under the related IR1 or IR2 licences.

Table 1: IR1 licence fees

Examples

*Note: Even though the anniversary date will be shown as 2 May on the licence, annual fee will not be charged on 1 May 2023 and the next annual payment due will be on 1 May 2024.

Before 20 Feb 2023, to keep, possess for use (other than sale), or use of irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials, an organisation would require separate L3 and L4 licences. Following the regulations change with effect from 20 Feb 2023, only a single IR2 licence would be required to keep, possess for use (other than sale) or use both irradiating apparatus and radioactive materials. The list of items will be listed in the Annex of the IR2 licence.

NEA will automatically convert L3 and L4 licences (active as at 30 Jan 2023) into new IR2 licences. L3 and L4 licences under the same customer profile in our database will be consolidated into a single IR2 licence. The new IR2 licence will be sent via email to customer profile contact person within 2 - 4 weeks of the implementation of the new regulations. Organisations with multiple customer profiles to manage different groups of L3 and L4 licences will receive one IR2 licence for each profile. After the IR2 licence is issued, the L3 and L4 licences under the old regime will then be cancelled.

The anniversary of the new IR2 licence will be based on the respective L3 and L4 licence expiry date or average of the consolidated L3 and L4 licences (where applicable). The annual fee payment due date, which replaces licence expiry date, will be one day before the anniversary date. As part of the transition to the new licensing regime, a 6-month grace period for late payment of annual fee will be provided as a transitional arrangement for licences with annual payment. Moving forward, the annual fee of (i) $155 per irradiating apparatus not containing radioactive material in the licence, or (ii) $155 per licence for at least one irradiating apparatus containing radioactive material or radioactive material in the licence, must be made by the anniversary date stated in the IR2 licence (e.g. anniversary date is on 30 Apr, annual fee payment due date is on 29 Apr of each year). For information on how to make annual payment, please refer to Q8. A summary table of the IR2 licence fees and some examples are illustrated below.

L5 and L6 licensees (active as at 30 Jan 2023) authorised to use irradiating apparatus or radioactive materials under an L3 or L4 licence will also be automatically added as a Qualified Person (QP) under the related IR1 or IR2 licences.

Table 2: IR2 licence fees

Examples

^#Note: Even though the anniversary date will be shown as 2 May on the licence, annual fee will not be charged on 1 May 2023 and the next annual payment due will be on 1 May 2024.

Before 20 Feb 2023, an organisation would require a L6A licence to transport radioactive materials. Following the regulations change with effect from 20 Feb 2023, NEA will automatically convert L6A licences (active as at 30 Jan 2023) into new IR3 licences. The new IR3 licence will be sent via email to the customer profile contact person within 2 - 4 weeks of the implementation of the new regulations. After the IR3 licence is issued, the L6A licence under the old regime will then be cancelled.

The anniversary of the new IR3 licence will be based on the L6A licence expiry date. The annual fee payment due date, which replaces the licence expiry date, will be one day before the anniversary date. As part of the transition to the new licensing regime, a 6-month grace period for late payment of annual fee will be provided as a transitional arrangement for licences with annual payment. Moving forward, the annual fee of $155 per licence must be made before the anniversary date stated in the licence (e.g. anniversary date is on 30 Apr, annual fee payment due date is on 29 Apr of each year). For information on how to make annual payment, please refer to Q8. A summary table of the IR3 licence fees is illustrated below.

Table 3: IR3 licence fees

Please note that NEA has reviewed certain licence details (e.g. apparatus/material type and purpose, licence conditions) and may have revised the details of certain licences. However, if you observe any errors in your new licence (e.g. missing or additional items; item with erroneous type, purpose, model, serial number; wrong anniversary date etc.), please notify NEA via FormSG by 31 Aug 2023.

For any amendments unrelated to errors in the licence conversion (e.g. change of storage location, addition of new item, etc.), an amendment application should be submitted via GoBusiness Portal.

Government payment mode

If you have indicated to NEA that the annual fee will be paid by a government entity through government payment modes at least 3 months before the anniversary date, an invoice will be issued to government entity within 1 week from the annual fee payment due date.

To add or remove government payment mode for subsequent annual fee payments for issued licence(s), please log into NEA ePortal to update your customer profile at least 3 months before the next anniversary date of your licence(s).

Please note that payment through government payment modes will have to be made within the 30-day credit term.

GIRO

If you have an existing GIRO arrangement with NEA for radiation protection licences and payment is not to be made through government payment modes, GIRO deduction will take place within the 2 weeks after the annual fee payment due date. Please ensure that sufficient funds are available in your account for the deduction to take place.

If you wish to sign-up for a GIRO account with NEA, please download the GIRO form from NEA ePortal > Categories > Radiation Safety.

ePayment

If you do not have an existing GIRO or government payment arrangement, you will be able to make payment for the annual fee through the following payment channels:

• NEA ePortal > Payment > One Stop Payment
• AXS: Please use the application number provided in the annual fee payment notice as the reference number when making payment.

NEA will endeavour to send email notifications approximately two months before the annual fee payment due date to remind licensees to pay the annual fee. However, licensees should note that payment of the annual fee is the licensee’s responsibility and licensees must ensure that the annual fee is paid even in the event that the email notification is not received. The notification will include information on whether or not the licensee has indicated that the annual fee will be paid by government payment mode or if there is an existing GIRO arrangement.

Yes, your organisation should apply for an IR3 licence to transport radioactive materials. For IR1/IR2 licensees that were former L2/L4 licensees (licence active as at 30 Jan 2023), NEA will reach out to licensees on the timeline for application of the IR3 licence. In the meantime, radiation workers that were former L6 licence holders (licence as at 30 Jan 2023) may continue to transport the source within Singapore.

Should you wish to consolidate the IR2 licences under the various customer profiles (under the same UEN) into one customer profile, you may submit a licence amendment application on GoBusiness Portal at $25 per application to transfer the IR2 licences from the various customer profiles into one single customer profile. As a result of this transfer, you will see multiple IR2 licences under the single customer profile.

If you would like to consolidate all the items into a single IR2 licence, please contact NEA and provide details of the request such as the licence number of licences under the same UEN to be consolidated and the preferred customer profile under which to consolidate the licences. 

The radiation worker registration will be changed to:

• Remove registration period such that renewal would no longer be needed
• Revise existing renewal fee to an annual recurring fee; and
• Include provisions to allow NEA to exempt from registration certain radiation workers operating radiation sources that present very low radiation risk (i.e. less than one-tenth of the dose limit for radiation workers).

Additionally, the personal dose monitoring services provided by NEA is decoupled from the worker registration to better reflect the corresponding service charges from the regulatory costs. Under the RP(IR)R 2000, L5, L6 licensees and radiation workers receive personal dose monitoring services provided by NEA. These provisions are removed in the new Regulations. NEA continues to provide such monitoring services which are charged separately from licence fees. Correspondingly, the renewal fee of $105 is replaced with a reduced annual recurring fee of $50.

Before 20 Feb 2023, an L5 or L6 licence is required for using irradiating apparatus (other than sale) or using, handling and transporting radioactive materials (other than sale) respectively. Also, R1 certificate is required for individuals engaged in radiation work. Following the regulations change with effect from 20 Feb 2023, individuals who are engaged in or are employed for part or whole of individuals’ working time to perform radiation work will just need to apply for an R1 radiation worker registration. There will no longer be any L5 or L6 licence holders. For the new R1 radiation workers, the credentialing will be similar to that of current L5 and L6 licence and R1 certificate holders (i.e. individuals working in certain types of radiation work may be required to pass either the NEA’s Qualifying Test (QT), or attend relevant course and pass the examinations conducted by the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs)). The R1 certificate will specify the type of radiation work that the individual is authorised to engage in, as well as specific conditions to ensure that the individual only engages in certain work that is appropriate based on the individual’s qualifications.

NEA will automatically convert L5 and L6 licences, and R1 certificates (active as at 30 Jan 2023) into the new R1 certificates. The new R1 certificate will be sent via email to the customer profile contact person within 2 - 4 weeks of the implementation of the new regulations. After the new R1 certificate is issued, the L5 and L6 licences, and R1 certificates under the old regime will then be cancelled. Please note that it is an offence under the RP(IR)R for an individual to engage in radiation work without a valid R1 registration, unless: (a) NEA has exempted the individual from registration, or (b) the individual is an enrolled student of an educational institution, whose course of studies involves using irradiating apparatus or radioactive material, and is under direct supervision of a registered radiation worker.

The anniversary of the new R1 certificate will be based on the average of the respective L5 and L6 licence, and R1 certificate expiry dates. The annual fee payment due date, which replaces the licence expiry date, will be one day before the anniversary date. As part of the transition to the new licensing regime, a 6-month grace period for late payment of annual fee will be provided as a transitional arrangement for licences with annual payment. Moving forward, the annual fee of $50 per certificate must be made before the anniversary date stated in the certificate (e.g. anniversary date is on 30 Apr, annual fee payment due date is on 29 Apr of each year). For information on how to make annual payment, please refer to Q15. A summary table of the R1 certificate fees and some examples are illustrated below.

L5 and L6 licensees (active as at 30 Jan 2023) authorised to use irradiating apparatus or radioactive materials under an L1, L2, L3 or L4 licence will also be automatically added as a Qualified Person (QP) under the related IR1 or IR2 licences.

Table 4: R1 certificate fees

Examples

*Note: Even though the anniversary date will be shown as 2 May on the certificate, annual fee will not be charged on 1 May 2023 and the next annual payment due will be on 1 May 2024.

Please note that NEA has reviewed certain registration details (i.e. type of radiation work and licence conditions) and may have revised the details of your registration. However, if you observe any errors, please notify NEA via FormSG by 31 Aug 2023.

For any amendments unrelated to errors in the licence or registration conversion, an amendment application should be submitted via GoBusiness Portal.

Licensees may submit their proposals for exemption of workers with supporting assessments for NEA’s consideration. NEA also intends to work with licensees to identify classes of work that may be suitable for exemption from registration and will reach out progressively to licensees on this.

Government payment mode

If you have indicated to NEA that the annual fee will be paid by a government entity through government payment modes at least 3 months before the anniversary date, an invoice will be issued to government entity within 1 week from the annual fee payment due date.

To add or remove government payment mode for subsequent annual fee payments for issued licence(s), please log into NEA ePortal to update your customer profile at least 3 months before the next anniversary date of your registration (s).

Please note that payment through government payment modes will have to be made within the 30-day credit term.

GIRO

If you have an existing GIRO arrangement with NEA for radiation protection licences and payment is not to be made through government payment modes, GIRO deduction will take place within the 2 weeks after the annual fee payment due date. Please ensure that sufficient funds are available in your account for the deduction to take place.

If you wish to pay the annual fee through your employer's existing GIRO account with NEA for radiation protection licences, please contact NEA to set up the arrangement at least 3 months before the anniversary date of your registration.

If you wish to sign-up for a GIRO account with NEA, please download the GIRO form from NEA ePortal > Categories > Radiation Safety.

ePayment

If you do not have an existing GIRO or government payment arrangement, you will be able to make payment for the annual fee through the following payment channels:

• NEA ePortal > Payment > One Stop Payment
• AXS: Please use the application number provided in the annual fee payment notice as the reference number when making payment.

NEA will endeavour to send email notifications approximately two months before the annual fee payment due date to remind registrants to pay the annual fee. However, registrants should note that payment of the annual fee is the registrant’s responsibility and registrants must ensure that the annual fee is paid even in the event the email notification is not received. The notification will include information on whether or not the registrant has indicated that the annual fee will be paid by government payment mode or if there is an existing GIRO arrangement.

Before 20 Feb 2023, NEA provides personal dose monitoring service for all licensees and registrants (L5, L6 and R1) at no added cost. The monitoring service is not automatically issued to licensees and registrants upon licence or registration approval, and organisations are required to apply for the monitoring service separately on behalf of the licensee or registrant.

With effect from 20 Feb 2023, subscribers will have to renew their subscription and pay for the service at the rate of $15.75 per month (inclusive of GST) before their subscription expires. For information on how to renew your subscription, please refer to the FAQs on eServices. Please note that transitional arrangements have been made for subscriptions expiring between 30 Jan 2023 and 30 Apr 2023. There are currently no other approved personal dose monitoring service providers.

Licensees must make arrangements for the assessment of the occupational exposure of workers, and they must determine if monitoring of the individual radiation dose is required for the assessment. If personal dose monitoring is assessed to be required, they must make arrangements for approved dosimetry service. For radiation workers who usually work in a controlled area, or who occasionally work in a controlled area and may receive a significant dose from occupational exposure, monitoring of the individual radiation dose must be undertaken where feasible. Please refer to regulation 35 of the Radiation Protection (Ionising Radiation) Regulations for more details on the requirements for occupational exposure assessment. 

With the shift to a performance-oriented requirements for occupational exposure, organisations may propose alternative arrangements for occupational exposure (in place of personal dose monitoring), where appropriate, for NEA’s approval. Licensees may submit proposals supported with detailed assessments to NEA for consideration.

Where radioactive waste is expected to be eligible for clearance under the revised regulations within 3 months from its production, an approval to accumulate radioactive waste is not required. Nevertheless, requirements for management of radioactive waste would still apply and NEA will assess compliance with waste management requirements when processing a new application to possess radioactive materials for use. For radioactive waste that is to be stored for more than 3 months, approval to accumulate radioactive waste would have to be sought.

For existing licensees, NEA will reach out to former L2 and L4 licensees (active as at 30 Jan 2023) progressively after the revised RP(IR)R is effected on 20 Feb 2023 to assess if an approval to accumulate radioactive waste is required and/or if any action is required by the licensee to comply with the new requirements for management of radioactive waste. If required, NEA will advise the licensee on the application process and requirements. Reasonable time will be given for licensees to meet the new requirements.   

Where the contaminated material or unwanted radioactive by-products (i.e. radioactive waste) is expected to be eligible for clearance under the revised regulations within 3 months from its production, a separate approval to accumulate radioactive waste is not required. For radioactive waste that is to be stored for more than 3 months, a separate approval to accumulate radioactive waste would have to be sought.

NEA will reach out to former L2 and L4 licensees (active as at 30 Jan 2023) progressively after the revised RP(IR)R is effected on 20 Feb 2023 to assess if a separate approval to accumulate radioactive waste is required and if any action is required by the licensee to comply with the new requirements for radioactive waste management. If required, NEA will advise the licensee on the application process and requirements. Reasonable time will be given for licensees to meet the new requirements.

Disposal of radioactive waste (except waste arising from the authorised use of irradiating apparatus or radioactive materials that meets clearance criteria) is not allowed in Singapore and approval will not be granted. For waste that meets clearance criteria under the RP(IR)R, approval is not necessary, but licensees should note the requirements under the RP(IR)R for demonstration of compliance with clearance criteria and recording of information.

For export of unwanted or disused radioactive material, licensees should apply to remove the item from their licence or cancel the licence and obtain the necessary permit to export the item.  

For former L-licence licensees (licence active as at 30 Jan 2023), NEA will reach out to licensees to assess if an emergency plan needs to be prepared or if existing plans need to be enhanced to meet the new requirements. If required, NEA will work with licensees and give reasonable time to meet the new regulatory requirements. While NEA is progressively reaching out to licensees, licensees are encouraged to take the initiative to assess if there is any risk of an emergency affecting either employees, workers or members of the public, and if so, to begin preparing an emergency response plan for the protection of people and the environment.

New licence applicants should assess if an emergency response plan is required and if so, should submit the draft emergency response plan with the licence application. If no emergency response plan is submitted, NEA will assess the licence application and may request to review the applicant’s assessment and subsequently advise if an emergency plan is required.

Yes, you may use the response plan template from SCDF to prepare the emergency response plan. 

The new provisions on security of radioactive materials sets out requirements for:

• establishing, implementing and maintaining, at a minimum, security measures capable of preventing unauthorised access to the radioactive material
• licensees to implement or improve security measures as instructed by NEA
• reporting breaches of security measures

This allows the requirements under the planned initiatives to strengthen security of radioactive materials to be imposed under regulations (instead of only as licence conditions), which serves to strengthen the implementation of the planned initiatives to strengthen security of radioactive materials shared at the industry consultation held in Apr/May 2022 by according the requirements a higher level of importance. 

Please find the implementation timeline illustrated below. NEA intends to send out the first notification in Q2/Q3 2023.

Should licensees require more time for implementation of additional security measures, NEA will review the requests on a case-by-case basis.