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X-Ray Facility Plan Review
Chapter
246-225 Washington Administrative
Code (WAC) - Regulations for Radiation Protection - requires
that new, remodeled or re-located medical X-ray facilities submit shielding calculations
before construction begins, or before the X-ray machine is moved. This is to ensure that
adequate lead is installed in the walls, floor, ceiling and/or operator's booth, so that
the public, other staff and the X-ray operator are afforded protection from the primary
beam and secondary radiation. Look up these requirements in your copy of the WAC or call
1-800-299-XRAY for a copy. The following sequence of events should take place:
- Plan Review
- Installation, Registration and Fees
- Inspection
Other topics of interest:
Plan Review
Work with your architect, contractor, or X-ray assembler to hire a qualified
expert to perform the shielding calculations. You will need to provide
information on projected workload, techniques to be used, exam types to be done,
layout of room, occupancy of adjacent space, etc. A
Qualified Experts List is provided. You should contact several experts on the list to see how much
they charge and when they can do the calculations for you. When complete, the floor plan
and shielding calculations are sent to us for review along with an information cover sheet
provided in the X-Ray Shielding Plan Review
Procedure package. These documents must be sent to DOH-XRAY,
PO Box 47827, Olympia WA 98504-7827 or
e-mail.
Without the cover sheet and appropriate plan review fees the plans will be
returned to sender. If the plans meet shielding requirements, we send an
acceptance letter to you. Use of the X-ray equipment cannot begin until
after you have received the review
letter from our office. There is a $656 late fee if our review is not done
before X-ray machine use.
Installation,
Registration and Fees
When your X-ray machine is installed (or moved) the installer is required to
send us a Report of Assembly. Other copies of this report go to you and
the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. When we receive this report, we then match
it with the shielding calculations and the floor plan. You must then
submit a Registration Application Package (for new
facilities only) and any appropriate fees to the
Department of Revenue Business
Licensing Services (DOR).
Fees are charged based upon the type of practice (medical, dental,
veterinary, industrial, etc.) and number and type of X-ray machines. Every year
thereafter, your facility will be billed through DOL for re-registration. There is no additional fee
for routine inspections.
Inspection
The final step in this process is the inspection done by one of our X-ray
inspectors who will call you and make an appointment. The facility floor plan and
shielding will be verified against the plan submitted, and the X-ray machine will be
tested to ensure that it is performing according to standards found in
WAC 246-225.
Exemptions
Note that radiographic diagnostic veterinary, podiatric and dental facilities are exempt from
submitting shielding calculations and floor plans, but the radiation safety standards in
WAC 246-225 must be followed. For dental and podiatric facilities, these
standards include the requirement for a proper exposure switch/button placement
(permanently mounted in a protected area), and for podiatric and dental extra-oral
(cephalometric or panoramic) systems, a means of viewing the patient during the exposure
(plate glass window, mirror or video). For dental cephalometric and
podiatric facilities, primary beam shielding should be considered if the primary
beam is directed toward occupied areas.
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