Section 2(1) in Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules, 2004
(1)In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires:-(a)"accident" means any unintended event, including operating error, equipment failure or other mishap, the consequences or potential consequences of which are not negligible from the radiation protection point of view;(b)"Act" means the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962);(c)"activation" means production of induced radioactivity by nuclear reactions;(d)"activity"" means the average number of spontaneous nuclear transformations taking place per unit time in a radioactive substance or material;(e)"adequate protection" means protection against radiation so provided that the regulatory constraints notified by the competent authority are not exceeded;(f)"appropriate" means appropriate in the opinion of the competent authority to ensure adequate protection;(g)"competent authority" means any officer or authority referred to in Section 27 of the Act;(h)"contamination" means the presence of a radioactive substance in or on a material or in the human body or other place in excess of quantities specified in the relevant safety codes by the competent authority;(i)"controlled area" means any area in which specific protection measures and safety provisions are or could be required for:(a)controlling exposures or preventing the spread of contamination during normal working conditions; and(b)preventing or limiting the extent of potential exposures;(j)"conveyance" means :-(i)any vehicle for the purpose of transport by road;(ii)any vessel, hold, or deck defined under the law being in force, for the purposes of transport by water; and(iii)any aircraft for the purpose of transport by air;(k)"decommissioning" means discontinuation of the use of radiation equipment or installation on a permanent basis, with or without dismantling the equipment, including removal or containment of radioactive materials;(l)"dose" means absorbed dose, organ dose, equivalent dose, effective dose, or committed equivalent dose, or committed effective dose depending on the context;(m)"employer" means any person who employs workers or imparts training using sources or who is self-employed as a worker, in a radiation installation;(n)"exposure" means the act or condition of being exposed to radiation;(o)"handle" means manufacture, possess, store, use, transfer by sale or otherwise, export, import, transport or dispose of;(p)"intervention" means any action to reduce or avert exposure or likelihood of exposure to sources which are not part of controlled practice or which are out of control as a result of accident;(q)"licence" means a licence issued under rule 3;(r)"licensee" means a person to whom licence has been issued under these rules;(s)"medical exposure" means exposure incurred by -(i)patients as part of their own medical diagnosis or treatment;(ii)persons, other than occupationally exposed, while knowingly and willingly helping in the support and comfort of patients; and(iii)volunteers in biomedical research;(t)"nuclear fuel cycle" means all operations associated with the production of nuclear energy, including mining, milling, processing of uranium or thorium; enrichment of uranium; manufacture of nuclear fuel; operation of reactors; reprocessing of nuclear fuel; decommissioning; radioactive waste management and any research or development activity related to any of the foregoing;(u)"off-site emergency" means accident condition or emergency situation involving excessive release of radioactive materials/hazardous chemicals from the plant into public domain calling for an intervention;(v)"person" shall include an individual or a company or association or body of individuals, whether incorporated or not; or Central Government or a State Government;(w)"personnel monitoring" means determination or estimation of the dose received by an individual from external and/or internal radiation;(x)"potential exposure" means exposure that is not expected to be delivered with certainty but which can result from an accident involving a source or due to an event or sequence of events of a probabilistic nature including equipment failure and operating errors;(y)"practice" means any human activity that introduces additional sources or exposure pathways or extends exposure to additional people or modifies the network of exposure pathways from existing sources, which may increase the exposure or likelihood of exposure of people, or the number of people exposed;(z)"quality assurance" means any planned and systematic action necessary to provide adequate confidence that a structure, system, component or procedure will perform satisfactorily, in compliance with safety standards specified by the competent authority, and includes quality control;(za)"quality control" means the set of operations (programming, coordinating, implementing) intended to maintain or to improve quality and includes monitoring, evaluation and maintenance at required levels of performance;(zb)"radiation installation" means any location or facility, including a mobile facility, in which a radiation generating equipment or plant or radioactive material is present and which in the opinion of the competent authority requires radiation surveillance for ensuring adequate protection against radiation;(zc)"radiation surveillance" means measures, including measurements and reviews performed, to ensure adequate protection;(zd)"radiation work" means work involving exposure;(ze)"radiation worker" means any person who is occupationally exposed to radiation;(zf)"Radiological Safety Officer" means any person who is so designated by the employer with the approval of the competent authority;(zg)"regulatory constraint" means restriction on radiation protection parameters notified by the competent authority;(zh)"sealed source" means radioactive material that is -(a)(i)permanently sealed in a capsule; or(ii)in a solid form which is closely bounded and(b)is designed to meet the safety standards prescribed by the competent authority;(zi)"source" means a radioactive material or a radiation generating plant or equipment;(zj)"supervised area" means any area not already designated as a controlled area but where occupational exposure conditions are kept under review even though specific protection measures and safety provisions are not normally needed;(zk)"unsealed source" means any radioactive material that is not a sealed source; and(zl)"worker" means radiation worker.
