The Radiation Producing Machines program provides registration and inspection of all Radiation Producing Machines equipment that produces ionizing radiation within the state of Nevada. Nevada Revised Statute 459 (NRS 459) and the Nevada Administrative Code 459 (NAC 459) are the laws which regulate Radiation Producing Machines, Radiation Producing Machines installers and service companies, and provide authority for enforcement actions and investigations into complaints made by employees and the public regarding incidents of radiation overexposure. The regulation of such equipment is to ensure the health and safety of the public and workers operating radiation producing equipment.
There are over 6,000 registered radiation-producing machines in the state including dental, medical, industrial, and academic machines. Machines are inspected on a periodic frequency based on human exposure potential.
A typical inspection will consist of:
Records: Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 459, dosimetry reports, radiation safety program, notice to employees, and machine registration certificates, etc.
Public and employee radiation safety: gonadal shielding, lead aprons, patient holding procedures, room shielding, and controlled area etc.
Radiation-producing machine operation criteria: timer accuracy, exposure repoducibility, collimator/cone accuracy, deadman switch, half-value layer, source to skin distance (SSD), source to image distance (SID) and roentgens per minute (R/min) output on fluoroscopy machines, etc.
The program participates in the national "NEXT Program" conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration to evaluate different types of medical Radiation Producing Machines and patient radiation exposure from different medical Radiation Producing Machines exams.