Answer to Question #12911 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"
Category: Medical and Dental Equipment/Shielding — Equipment
The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:
I am getting different answers to this question and would like to know if an x-ray room is required to have the toggle that doesn't allow an x-ray exposure while the door is open to be compliant, or having the sign that illuminates when an x ray is taken over the door adequate?
X-ray use is regulated by the state that you are in, and those regulations may or may not require a door interlock, a warning light, a warning sign, or any combination of these. As an example, Ohio does not require any of the above, so we recommend that either a warning light or warning sign be used.
It is less common to see door interlocks in x-ray rooms. This is likely because if one is tripped during an exposure, the x ray would likely have to be repeated on the patient, resulting in unnecessary additional exposure. The radiation dose to an individual who opens a door to an x-ray room is typically fairly low and may not justify the use of a door interlock for this reason. As a side note, door interlocks are usually required in radiation therapy applications, where the radiation dose is orders of magnitude higher than in an x-ray room.
You should contact the radiation safety officer or physicist for your facility or refer to the x-ray regulations for the state that you work in or contact the state x-ray control department to see if there are requirements for interlocks, lights or signs.
Kennith "Duke" Lovins, CHP