Practical Radiation Protection —
Training activity: 3

Details

Prepare a risk assessment for an ionising radiation facility and make recommendations on the provision and maintenance of personal protective equipment (PPE)

Type

Entrustable training activity (ETA)

Evidence requirements

Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee repeatedly, consistently, and effectively over time, in a range of situations. This may include occasions where the trainee has not successfully achieved the outcome of the activity themselves. For example, because it was not appropriate to undertake the task in the circumstances or the trainees recognised their own limitations and sought help or advice to ensure the activity reached an appropriate conclusion. ​

Reflection at multiple timepoints on the trainee learning journey for this activity.

Considerations

• Stages of risk assessment
• Hierarchy of controls and their application in the radiation setting
• Relevant legislation
• Radiation accidents

Reflective practice guidance

The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.

Before action

• What does success look like for this activity?
  • What constitutes a critical appraisal of risks and safety requirements for an ionising radiation facility?
  • Discuss with your Training Officer to gain clarity on the expected format, level of detail, and specific recommendations required for PPE provision and maintenance in a risk assessment.
• Reflect on any previous involvement in risk assessments, either within healthcare or other settings.
  • Have you encountered discussions about PPE in other contexts?
  • Consider possible challenges you might face, such as identifying all potential hazards, accurately assessing risk levels, or making appropriate recommendations for PPE that are practical and effective. How might you handle these challenges?
  • When would you need to seek advice from a Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA), a safety officer, or an occupational health specialist regarding complex risk scenarios or PPE requirements?
  • Are you confident in your understanding of ionising radiation hazards and control measures, or do you feel uncertain about formal risk assessment methodologies?
• Identify specific skills you want to develop, such as conducting a thorough hazard identification, performing a risk matrix analysis, or formulating clear and concise recommendations for PPE.
  • Identify the specific insights you hope to gain into the practical application of radiation safety legislation and the importance of a systematic approach to risk management in a clinical setting.
• What additional considerations do you need to make?
  • Consult actions identified following previous experiences related to safety protocols or equipment use in ionising radiation environments.
  • Identify important information you need to consider, such as relevant legislation (e.g., IRR17), facility-specific procedures, or guidance on selecting and maintaining various types of PPE.

In action

• Are you noticing anything surprising or different from what you anticipate during the preparation of the risk assessment for the ionising radiation facility?
  • Are you encountering situations such as:
    • A new or unusual hazard identification that defies initial expectations (e.g., unexpected source of scatter radiation)?
    • An unexpected microbiological failure or physical deviation in facility operations (if applicable to the risk assessment scope)?
    • Conflicting data points regarding staff exposure or equipment safety features that make critical evaluation difficult?
    • An anticipated control measure or PPE recommendation that turned out to be impractical or insufficient during your assessment?
  • How does this experience compare with previous experiences of similar risk assessment activities?
• How is any unexpected development being resolved as you progress during the risk assessment preparation?
  • How are you working within your scope of practice? Are you successfully managing the situation yourself, or do you need support because it is beyond your current scope (for example, if the risk evaluation is incomplete or requires senior review due to complex interactions)?
  • What are you learning in this moment as a result of any unexpected development? For example, are you learning a new approach to identifying latent risks, or a more robust method for evaluating the effectiveness of PPE?
• How is this impacting your actions? For example, are you responding to the situation appropriately?
  • Are you adapting or changing your approach to collecting information for the risk assessment?
  • Is it affecting your ability to undertake the activity independently?
  • Consider the steps you are taking in the moment, such as:
    • Are you re-checking facility schematics or operational procedures immediately?
    • Are you consulting relevant radiation protection regulations or PPE standards more thoroughly than planned?
    • Are you seeking advice from a more experienced colleague or your training officer to understand the risk assessment anomaly or unexpected finding?
    • Are you changing your initial approach to formulating recommendations for PPE and control measures based on new insights?

On action

• What happened during the preparation of the risk assessment for the ionising radiation facility?
  • Summarise the key points of your experience preparing this risk assessment and making PPE recommendations.
  • What specific events, actions, or interactions felt important, including your own feelings during the process?
  • Did you have any ‘reflect-in-action’ moments where you adapted your approach to the risk assessment as new information or challenges arose?
• How has this risk assessment experience contributed to your developing practice?
  • What learning can you take from this experience? What strengths did you demonstrate in identifying risks or recommending PPE for ionising radiation? What skills and/or knowledge gaps were evident in your understanding of ionising radiation facilities or PPE?
  • Compare this experience against previous engagements with similar activities (if applicable). Were any previous identified actions for development achieved? Has your practice in preparing risk assessments for ionising radiation facilities improved?
  • Identify any challenges you experienced in preparing the risk assessment or making PPE recommendations and how you reacted to these. Did this affect your ability to deal with the situation? Were you able to overcome the challenges?
  • Identify anything significant about the activity, such as needing to seek advice or clarification on specific risks or PPE requirements, or needing to escalate a finding to ensure you were working within your scope of practice.
• What will you take from the ionising radiation risk assessment experience moving forward?
  • Identify the actions or ‘next steps’ you will now take to support the assimilation of what you have learned, including from any feedback received on your risk assessment.
  • What will you do differently next time you prepare a risk assessment for an ionising radiation facility?
  • Has anything changed in terms of what you would do if you were faced with a similar risk assessment situation again?
  • Do you need to practise any aspect of risk assessment or PPE recommendation further?

Beyond action

• Have you reviewed your previous reflections and identified actions for improvement related to preparing risk assessments for ionising radiation facilities and making recommendations on PPE?
  • What specific steps did you identify to enhance your practice in critically appraising risks and safety requirements associated with ionising radiation or advising on PPE?
  • Have you successfully implemented these actions in subsequent similar risk assessment activities?
  • Are you now confident and prepared to demonstrate this accumulated learning into practice for future instances of preparing risk assessments for ionising radiation facilities?
  • Did discussing your approach to these risk assessments with others offer new perspectives or insights that changed your understanding of the situation, the risks involved, or your recommendations for PPE?
• How does the learning gained from repeatedly undertaking risk assessments for ionising radiation facilities and reflecting on it support your preparation for observed in-person assessments for the module?
  • How has your practice in preparing risk assessments for ionising radiation facilities developed and evolved over time through these multiple engagements?
  • Can you identify specific instances where your ability to critically appraise risks or make appropriate PPE recommendations has improved?
  • Furthermore, how has this holistic reflection helped you better recognise when an aspect of risk assessment or PPE recommendation might be beyond your current scope of practice, and when to seek advice or escalate?

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 2	Outcome Critically appraise the risks and safety requirements associated with ionising and non-ionising radiation.