Australian Capital Territory
Corrections Management (SOTER X-Ray Body Scanner) Policy 2010
Notifiable instrument NI2010-37
made under the  
Corrections Management Act 2007, section 14(1) (Corrections policies and operating procedures) 

1	Name of instrument
This instrument is the Corrections Management (SOTER X-Ray Body Scanner) Policy 2010.
2	Commencement
This instrument commences on the day after it is notified.
3	Policy
I make the

SOTER X-Ray Body scanner policy

attached to this instrument, to facilitate the effective and efficient management of correctional services.

Barry Folpp
A/g Executive Director 
ACT Corrective Services
       28 January 2010

Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC)

SOTER X-Ray Body Scanner 
Policy

Purpose
Authority
Legislation
Policy
Principles
Scope
Conditions for operation
Radiation Safety and Protection Plan
Scanning requirements
Operator requirements
Record keeping
Auditing and reporting
Forms/templates
Related Policies and Procedures

Purpose
To outline the SOTER X-Ray body scanner (the SOTER) policy.

Authority
Legislation
Corrections Management Act 2007, sections 111 and 112
Radiation Protection Act 2006
Human Rights Act 2004

Policy
Principles
The SOTER is to be used on prisoners only to detect and prevent entry of contraband into the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC).

The operation of the SOTER is subject to a licence being issued by the ACT Radiation Council (the Council) in accordance with Division 3.2 the ACT Radiation Protection Act 2006.

All operators of the SOTER must be licenced in accordance with Division 3.2 of the ACT Radiation Act 2006.  A licence to register the SOTER for use and licences for operators must be renewed annually.  The Governance Unit will ensure that this happens.

Scope
This policy applies to all ACTCS staff who are licensed by the Council to operate the SOTER.

Conditions for operation
Radiation Safety and Protection Plan
The SOTER is to be used in accordance with the Radiation Safety and Protection Plan for ACT Corrective Services.  

The ACT Radiation Protection Act 2006 stipulates that a radiation safety and protection plan be developed to ensure that ionizing radiation practices are conducted as safely as possible.

This plan will ensure that radiation doses to users and subjects are below the prescribed limits.  

The Radiation Safety and Protection Plan outlines the obligations of ACTCS as a licence holder and obligations of persons who have been licenced to carry out a radiation practice.  

Scanning requirements
The scanning requirements are as follows:

•	no person under the age of 18 is to be scanned;
•	no pregnant female is to be scanned once ACTCS becomes aware of their pregnancy;
•	the maximum dose per scan per prisoner is 0.003mSv;
•	the maximum annual dose per prisoner is 0.25mSv;
•	scanning will only be undertaken when all doors in the bank of lockers are closed; 
•	a system is developed to warn when the person being scanned reaches 80% of their annual exposure limit i.e. 0.2 mSv;
•	if a prisoner reaches 90% of the annual radiation exposure limit i.e. 0.225 mSv no further scans will be undertaken until 12 months have passed after the first scan was taken;
•	no less than three radiation detection monitors are to be installed within the room where the SOTER will be housed for the purpose of monitoring shielding effectiveness and backscatter radiation;
•	the room housing the scanner must adhere to the Shielding Design Report, revised on 30 November 2009, Rev: 05-2009; 

Operator requirements
All ACTCS staff that operate the SOTER are to:

•	be individually trained and licenced;
•	wear radiation dose detectors at all times when the SOTER is active; 
•	adhere to the Radiation Safety and Protection Plan; and
•	operate the SOTER in accordance with the SOTER RS System Operation Procedure.

Record keeping 
ACTCS is required to undertake the following record keeping practices:

•	keep records of personal details and cumulative exposure of persons scanned;
•	ensure that records of scans are securely maintained;
•	maintain a record of all daily equipment calibration results and make the results available to ACT Health Officers upon request;
•	all scanned persons are to be provided with a record of their radiation exposure at the time of being released from the AMC; and 
•	radiation dose records are to be kept and maintained for a minimum of 70 years or until the known death of the person.

Auditing and reporting
The Business Policy and Coordination Unit, ACTCS will:

•	engage an independent contractor to conduct a compliance audit at least four times a year in the first year of operation of the SOTER; 
•	provide the Council with copies of all reports issued by the independent compliance tester within four weeks of the compliance test;
•	undertake an internal audit at least once a year to ensure that the operation of SOTER is conducted in accordance with conditions set by the Council; and
•	provide an annual report to the Council demonstrating compliance with the Radiation Safety and Protection Plan, the satisfaction of conditions of the registration and a statistical outline of all scans performed.

ACTCS Radiation Safety Officers will provide the independent contractor with unrestricted access to the SOTER or relevant documents.

Forms/templates
Prisoner Discharge Property Form 

Related Policies and Procedures
SOTER X-Ray Body Scanner Operating Procedure
Searching Policy
Searching Procedure
Radiation Safety and Protection Plan
Discharge Procedure