THE HON Martin Ferguson
Minister for Resources and Energy
Minister for Tourism
THE HON Catherine King
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing
The Australian Government has developed a new central database to better protect workers by tracking the radiation dose histories of employees in uranium mining and milling industries across Australia.
Around 6,000 Australians employed in the uranium industry will benefit from the new Australian National Radiation Dose Register.
The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP, launched the register today at the AusIMM International Uranium Conference in Perth.
"The health and safety of workers is always our first priority," Minister Ferguson said.
"The new national register strengthens protections for employees over their working life by ensuring that data for monitoring radiation doses will follow them if they move across jobs and across jurisdictions.
"Wherever they go in Australia, workers will be able to access records that track complete dose histories to ensure their good health into the future.
"The national dose register is integral to ensuring we have a world class regulatory regime in place for uranium mining in Australia."
The register is funded by the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and its management contracted to the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).
Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Catherine King, said the register delivers on the Government's election commitment to establish a compulsory register for workers in the uranium industry.
"This is an excellent example of how the role of ARPANSA is reflected in a practical way for the assistance of Australians as they go about their work, in this case in the uranium mining and milling sectors," Ms King said.
Under the new scheme, data on radiation doses will be sent to the central register. Workers can then access their personal records collected over their lifetime. The new service is provided free of charge by the Australian Government.
The register has been open for dose records from mining companies since 2010 and records are protected by privacy legislation. South Australia and Western Australia have implemented the necessary hardware and software to commence collecting radiation dose data. The Northern Territory is expected to join the regime by the end of 2011.
The data will improve the capacity of industry to monitor radiation exposure, for example by showing industry trends and comparisons. In Australia, the current limit of radiation exposure is 100 mSv over five years, with not more than 50 mSv received in any one year, in line with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommendations.
More information about the register is available at www.arpansa.gov.au