Directive 1990/641 - Operational protection of outside workers exposed to the risk of ionizing radiation during their activities in controlled areas - Main contents

official title

COUNCIL DIRECTIVE

of 4 December 1990

on the operational protection of outside workers exposed to the risk of ionizing radiation during their activities in controlled areas

(90/641/Euratom)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community; and in particular Articles 31 and 32 thereof,

Haying regard to the proposal from the Commission, submitted following consultation with a group of persons appointed by the Scientific and Technical Committee from among scientific experts in the Member States, as laid down in Article 31 of the Treaty,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (2),

Whereas, Article 2 (b) of the Treaty provides that the Community shall establish uniform safety standards to protect the health of workers and of the general public and ensure that they are applied in accordance with the procedures laid down in Chapter III of Title II of the Treaty;

Whereas, on 2 February 1959, the Council adopted Directives laying down the basic standards for the protection of the health of workers and of the general public against the dangers arising from ionizing radiations (3), as amended by Directives 80/836/Euratom (4) and 84/467/Euratom (5);

Whereas Title VI of Directive 80/836/Euratom lays down the fundamental principles governing operational protection of exposed workers;

Whereas Article 40 (1) of that Directive provides that each Member State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the effective protection of exposed workers;

Whereas Article 20 and 23 of that Directive establish a classification of areas of work and categories of exposed workers according to the level of exposure;

Whereas the workers performing activities in a controlled area within the meaning of the said Articles 20 and 23 can belong to the personnel of the operator or be outside workers;

Whereas Article 3 of Directive 80/836/Euratom concerning the activities referred to in Article 2 of that Directive provides that they should be reported or subject to prior authorization in cases decided upon by each Member State;

Whereas outside workers are liable to be exposed to ionizing radiation in several controlled areas in succession in one and the same Member State or in different Member States; whereas these specific working conditions require an appropriate radiological monitoring system;

Whereas any radiological monitoring system for outside workers must provide protection equivalent to that offered the operator's established workers, by means of common provisions;

Whereas, pending the introduction of a uniform Community-wide system, account should also be taken of the radiological monitoring systems for outside workers which may exist in the Member States;

Whereas, to optimize the protection of outside workers, it is necessary to define clearly the obligations of outside undertakings and operators, without prejudice to the contribution that outside workers themselves have to make to their own protection;

Whereas the system for the radiological protection of outside workers also applies as far as practicable to the case of a self-employed worker with the status of outside undertaking,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:

TITLE I

Purpose and definitions

Article 1

The purpose of this Directive is to supplement Directive 80/836/Euratom thereby optimizing at Community level operational protection arrangements for outside workers performing activities in controlled areas.

Article 2

For the purposes of this Directive:

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