Fifty trained in radiation safety and regulation

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ministry of Public Health hosted a five-day training workshop on ‘Basic Radiation Safety and the Regulation of Radiation Sources’ from April 16-20, 2018.

A release from the EPA said that the training saw 50 professionals from the public and private sectors involved in the use of radiation and radioactive sources and its management in attendance. Users from the medical, industrial and agricultural sectors, as well as regulatory bodies in the fields of environment, customs and mining were trained in fields such as: Radiation sources and protection; Legal Framework and Legislation, medical uses, public exposure, transport, industrial uses and consumer products.

An overview of the national context was provided by Tashana Redmond, Senior Environmental Officer, EPA and Petal Surujpaul, Medical Physicist, Ministry of Public Health. Redmond, the release said, stated that the EPA currently regulates the Industrial Sources of Radiation while the Ministry of Public Health has responsibility for the Medical Sources.

Guyana is currently implementing Project RLA 9082, on ‘Establishing and Strengthening Sustainable National Regulatory Infrastructures for the Control of Radioactive Sources under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The release said that the goal of this project is to build the competence and expertise needed by national regulatory bodies to establish and operate an adequate regulatory programme for the safety and security of radiation sources. This training was conducted by Consultants from the IAEA, Tasos Zodiates, United Kingdom and Bob Irwin, Canada.