Chapter DHS 157

DHS 157.01(9) (9) Subchapter VIII establishes requirements for the use of diagnostic or therapeutic x-ray equipment, including accelerators, by or under the supervision of an individual authorized and licensed by state statutes to engage in the healing arts or veterinary medicine; and to establish registration requirements for radiation machines.

DHS 157.01(10) (10) Subchapter IX establishes radiation safety requirements for the use of radiation generating devices.

DHS 157.01(11) (11) Subchapter X establishes requirements for persons licensed or registered under this chapter to provide workers with notices, instructions and reports relating to activities under a license or registration.

DHS 157.01(12) (12) Subchapter XI establishes options available to facilities and individuals in connection with department inspections to determine compliance with the provisions of this chapter and radiological working conditions or other requirements specified in a license.

DHS 157.01(13) (13) Subchapter XII establishes classification and fiscal penalty criteria for violations of license conditions, emergency orders or the requirements of this chapter; and criteria for requesting and scheduling hearings to contest department assessments of forfeiture, licensing actions or emergency orders.

DHS 157.01(14) (14) Subchapter XIII establishes requirements for the packaging, preparation for shipment and transportation of radioactive material.

DHS 157.01(15) (15) Subchapter XIV establishes radioactivity requirements for community water systems.

DHS 157.01(16) (16) Subchapter XV establishes requirements for the physical protection program for any licensee that possesses a category 1 or category 2 quantity of radioactive material listed in ch. DHS 157 Appendix U.

DHS 157.01 History History: CR 01-108: cr. Register July 2002 No. 559, eff. 8-1-02; corrections in (16) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 7., Stats., Register July 2002 No. 559; CR 06-021: am. (6), r. (16) Register October 2006 No. 610, eff. 11-1-06; correction in (1) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 6., Stats., Register January 2009 No. 637; CR: 16-078: cr. (16) Register January 2018 No. 745, eff. 2-1-18; correction in (16) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register January 2018 No. 745; CR 22-015: am. (10) Register June 2023 No. 810, eff. 7-1-23.

DHS 157.02 DHS 157.02 Applicability.

DHS 157.02(1) (1) Except as specified, this chapter applies to all persons who receive, possess, use, transfer, own or acquire any source of radiation, except that nothing in this chapter shall apply to any person subject to regulation by the U.S. nuclear regulatory commission.

DHS 157.02(2) (2) A licensee subject to the requirements of subch. II is also subject to the requirements of subchs. I, III, X and XIII.

DHS 157.02(3) (3) Subchapter III applies to all persons licensed or registered by the department to receive, possess, use, transfer or dispose of sources of radiation. The limits in subch. III do not apply to doses due to background radiation, to exposure of patients to radiation for the purpose of medical diagnosis or therapy, or to voluntary participation in medical research programs.

DHS 157.02(4) (4) The requirements of subch. IV are for industrial radiography operations and are in addition to the requirements of subchs. I, II, III, VIII, X, XI, XII, and XIII.

DHS 157.02(5) (5) Subchapter V applies to all licensees or registrants who use sources of radiation for well logging including mineral-logging, radioactive markers and subsurface tracer studies. The requirements of subch. V are in addition to the requirements of subchs. I, II, III, VIII, X, XI, XII and XIII.

DHS 157.02(6) (6) Subchapter VI applies to all persons using radioactive material in the healing arts. The requirements of subch. VI are in addition to the requirements of subchs. I, II, III, X, XI, XII and XIII.

DHS 157.02(7) (7) Subchapter VII applies to panoramic irradiators having either dry or wet storage of the radioactive sealed sources and to underwater irradiators in which both the source and the product being irradiated are submerged. Irradiators whose dose rates exceed 5 grays (500 rads) per hour at one meter from the radioactive sealed sources in air or in water, as applicable for the irradiator type, are covered by subch. VII. Nothing in subch. VII relieves a licensee from complying with other federal, state and local regulations governing the siting, zoning, land use and building code requirements for industrial facilities. Subchapter VII does not apply to self–contained dry–source–storage irradiators in which both the source and the area subject to irradiation are contained within a device and are not accessible by personnel, medical radiology or teletherapy, radiography for the irradiation of materials for nondestructive testing purposes, gauging or open–field, agricultural irradiations. The requirements of subch. VII are in addition to the requirements of subchs. I, II, III, X, XI, XII and XIII.

DHS 157.02(8) (8) Subchapter VIII applies to all persons registered to use x-ray devices. The requirements of subch. VIII are in addition to the requirements of subchs. I, III, X, XI and XII.

DHS 157.02(9) (9) Subchapter IX applies to all persons registered to use cabinet and analytical x-ray devices. The requirements of subch. IX are in addition to the requirements of subchs. I, III, VIII, X, XI and XII.

DHS 157.02(10) (10) The requirements of subch. X apply to all persons who receive, possess, use, own or transfer sources of radiation registered with or licensed by the department under subchs. II and VIII of this chapter.

DHS 157.02(11) (11) Subchapter XI applies to all persons who receive, possess, use, own or transfer radioactive materials or radiation producing machines licensed by or registered with the department.

DHS 157.02(12) (12) Subchapter XII applies to all persons who possess, use, store, transfer or receive radioactive materials, or who possess radiation machines.

DHS 157.02(13) (13) Subchapter XIII applies to any person who transports radioactive material or delivers radioactive material to a carrier for transport.

DHS 157.02(14) (14) The radioactivity requirements in subch. XIV apply to all community water systems, except those meeting all of the conditions of s. DHS 157.95.

DHS 157.02 History History: CR 01-108: cr. Register July 2002 No. 559, eff. 8-1-02; CR 06-021: am. (4) to (7) and (10), r. (15) Register October 2006 No. 610, eff. 11-1-06.

DHS 157.03 DHS 157.03 Definitions. In this chapter:

DHS 157.03(1) (1) “A1” means the maximum activity of special form radioactive material permitted in a Type A package. This value is either listed in Table VI and Table VIII in ch. DHS 157 Appendix O or may be derived under the procedures prescribed in ch. DHS 157 Appendix O.

DHS 157.03(2) (2) “A2” means the maximum activity of radioactive material, other than special form material, LSA and SCO material, permitted in a Type A package. This value is either listed in Table VI and Table VIII in ch. DHS 157 Appendix O or may be derived under the procedures prescribed in ch. DHS 157 Appendix O.

DHS 157.03(3) (3) “Absorbed dose or “D” means the energy imparted by ionizing radiation per unit of mass of irradiated material. The units of absorbed dose are the rad and the gray (Gy).

DHS 157.03(4) (4) “Absorbed dose rate” means absorbed dose per unit time, for machines with timers, or dose monitor unit per unit time for accelerators.

DHS 157.03(5) (5) “Accelerator” or “particle accelerator” means any machine capable of accelerating electrons, protons, deuterons or other charged particles in a vacuum and of discharging the resultant particle or other radiation into a medium at energies usually in excess of one MeV.

DHS 157.03(6) (6) “Accelerator-produced radioactive material” means any material made radioactive by an accelerator.

DHS 157.03(6m) (6m) “Access control” means a system for allowing only approved individuals to have unescorted access to the security zone and for ensuring that all other individuals are subject to escorted access.

DHS 157.03(7) (7) “Accessible surface” means surface of equipment or of an equipment part, housing or enclosure of the radiation producing machine that may be easily or accidentally touched by persons without the use of a tool.

DHS 157.03(8) (8) “Act” means ss. 254.31 to 254.45, Stats.

DHS 157.03(9) (9) “Activity” means the rate of disintegration or transformation or decay of radioactive material. The units of activity are the becquerel and the curie.

DHS 157.03(10) (10) “Added filtration” means any filtration which is in addition to the inherent filtration.

DHS 157.03(11) (11) “Address of use” means the building or buildings that are identified on the license and where radioactive material may be received, used or stored.

DHS 157.03(12) (12) “Adult” means an individual 18 or more years of age.

DHS 157.03(12m) (12m) ”Aggregated” means accessible by the breach of a single physical barrier that would allow access to radioactive material in any form, including any devices that contain the radioactive material.

DHS 157.03 Note Note: An aggregated total activity equal or exceeding a category 2 to quantity of radioactive material exceeds the thresholds set forth in ch. DHS 157 Appendix U.

DHS 157.03(13) (13) “Agreement state” means any state with which the U.S. nuclear regulatory commission or the U.S. atomic energy commission has entered into an effective agreement under subsection 274b of the atomic energy act of 1954, as amended.

DHS 157.03(14) (14) “Air-purifying respirator” means a respirator with an air-purifying filter, cartridge, or canister that removes specific air contaminants by passing ambient air through the air-purifying element.

DHS 157.03(15) (15) “Airborne radioactive material” means any radioactive material dispersed in the air in the form of dusts, fumes, particulates, mists, vapors or gases.

DHS 157.03(16) (16) “Airborne radioactivity area” means a room, enclosure or area in which airborne radioactive materials, composed wholly or partly of licensed material, exist in concentrations that meet either of the following criteria:

DHS 157.03(16)(a) (a) In excess of the derived air concentrations specified in ch. DHS 157 Appendix E, table I.

DHS 157.03(16)(b) (b) An individual present in the area without respiratory protective equipment could exceed, during the hours an individual is present in a week, an intake of 0.6% of the annual limit on intake or 12 DAC-hours.

DHS 157.03(17) (17) “Air kerma” or “K” means the sum of the initial kinetic energies of all the charged ionizing particles liberated by uncharged ionizing particles per unit mass of air. Kerma is determined as the quotient of dE divided by dM, where dE is the sum of the initial kinetic energies of all the charged ionizing particles liberated by uncharged ionizing particles in air of mass dM. The SI unit of air kerma is joule per kilogram and the special name for the unit of kerma is the gray.

DHS 157.03(17m) (17m) “Air kerma rate” means the air kerma per unit time.

DHS 157.03(18) (18) “Alarming ratemeter” means a radiation measurement device that may be set to alarm at a pre-set dose rate.

DHS 157.03(19) (19) “Alert” means an event may occur, is in progress, or has occurred that could lead to a release of radioactive material but that the release is not expected to require a response by offsite response organizations to protect people offsite.

DHS 157.03(20) (20) “Alignment helmet” means a guide placed on the head that directs radiation to a specific site during stereotactic surgery.

DHS 157.03(21) (21) “Aluminum equivalent” means the thickness of type 1100 aluminum alloy affording the same attenuation, under specified conditions, as the material in question.

DHS 157.03 Note Note: The nominal chemical composition of type 1100 aluminum is 99.00 percent minimum aluminum and 0.12% copper.

DHS 157.03(22) (22) “Analytical x-ray system” means x-ray equipment that generates ionizing radiation by electronic means for the purpose of examining the microstructure and composition of materials.

DHS 157.03(23) (23) “Annual refresher safety training” means a review conducted or provided by the licensee or registrant for its employees on radiation safety aspects of industrial radiography.

DHS 157.03(24) (24) “Annual limit on intake” or “ALI” means the derived limit for the amount of radioactive material taken into the body of an adult worker by inhalation or ingestion in a year. Annual limit on intake is the smaller value of intake of a given radionuclide in a year by the reference person that would result in a committed effective dose equivalent of 0.05 Sv (5 rem) or a committed dose equivalent of 0.5 Sv (50 rem) to any individual organ or tissue.

DHS 157.03 Note Note: Annual limit on intake values for intake by ingestion and by inhalation of selected radionuclides are given in table I, columns 1 and 2, of ch. DHS 157 Appendix E.

DHS 157.03(25) (25) “ANSI” means the American National Standards Institute.

DHS 157.03(25m) (25m) “Approved individual” means an individual whom the licensee has determined to be trustworthy and reliable for unescorted access under ss. DHS 157.9700 to157.9706 and who has completed the training required by s. DHS 157.9708 (3).

DHS 157.03(26) (26) “Area of use” means a portion of an address of use that has been set aside for the purpose of receiving, using or storing radioactive material.

DHS 157.03(27) (27) “As low as is reasonably achievable” or “ALARA” means making every reasonable effort to maintain exposures to radiation as far below the dose limits in this chapter as is practical, consistent with the purpose for which the licensed or registered activity is undertaken, taking into account the state of technology, the economics of improvements in relation to state of technology, the economics of improvements in relation to benefits to the public health and safety and other societal and socioeconomic considerations, and in relation to utilization of nuclear energy and licensed or registered sources of radiation in the public interest.

DHS 157.03(28) (28) “Assembler” means any person engaged in the business of assembling, replacing or installing one or more components into an x-ray system or subsystem. The term includes the owner of an x-ray system or his or her employee or agent who assembles components into an x-ray system that is subsequently used to provide professional or commercial services.

DHS 157.03(29) (29) “Assigned Protection Factor” or “APF” means the expected workplace level of respiratory protection that would be provided by a properly functioning respirator or a class of respirators to properly trained and fitted users. Operationally, the inhaled concentration may be estimated by dividing the ambient airborne concentration by the APF.

DHS 157.03(30) (30) “Associated equipment” means equipment that is used in conjunction with a radiographic exposure device to make radiographic exposures that drives, guides or comes in contact with the source.

DHS 157.03 Note Note: Examples of associated equipment include a guide tube, control tube, control cable, removable source stop, “J” tube and collimator when used as an exposure head.

DHS 157.03(30m) (30m) “Associate radiation safety officer” means an individual who meets all of the following qualifications:

DHS 157.03(30m)(a) (a) Satisfies the requirements in s. DHS 157.61 (7) and (11).

DHS 157.03(30m)(b) (b) Is currently identified as an associate radiation safety officer for the types of use of radioactive material for which the individual has been assigned duties and tasks by the radiation safety officer on a specific medical use license issued by the department, the NRC, or another agreement state or medical use permit issued by an NRC master material licensee.

DHS 157.03(31) (31) “Atmosphere-supplying respirator” means a respirator that supplies the respirator user with breathing air from a source independent of the ambient atmosphere, and includes supplied-air respirators and self-contained breathing apparatus units.

DHS 157.03(32) (32) “Attenuation block” means a block or stack of type 1100 aluminum alloy, or aluminum alloy having equivalent attenuation, with dimensions 20 centimeters by 20 centimeters or larger by 3.8 centimeters that is large enough to intercept the entire x-ray beam.

DHS 157.03(32m) (32m) ”Authorized medical physicist” means an individual who has any of the following qualifications:

DHS 157.03(32m)(a) (a) Meets the training requirements in s. DHS 157.61 (8) (a) and (11).

DHS 157.03(32m)(b) (b) Is identified as an authorized medical physicist on a specific medical use license or equivalent permit issued by the department, NRC or another agreement state.

DHS 157.03(32m)(c) (c) Is identified as an authorized medical physicist on a permit issued by the department, NRC or another agreement state specific medical use licensee of broad scope that is authorized to permit the use of radioactive material.

DHS 157.03(33) (33) “Authorized nuclear pharmacist” means a pharmacist licensed by the state under ch. 450, Stats., and who fulfills at least one of the following:

DHS 157.03(33)(a) (a) Meets the requirements in s. DHS 157.61 (9) (a) and (11).

DHS 157.03(33)(b) (b) Is identified as an authorized nuclear pharmacist on a nuclear regulatory commission or agreement state license or other equivalent permit or license recognized by the NRC that authorizes the medical use of radioactive material or the practice of nuclear pharmacy.

DHS 157.03(33)(c) (c) Is identified as an authorized nuclear pharmacist on a permit issued by an NRC or agreement state specific licensee of broad scope that is authorized to permit the medical use of radioactive material or the practice of nuclear pharmacy.

DHS 157.03(33)(d) (d) Is approved as an authorized nuclear pharmacist by a nuclear pharmacy authorized by the NRC or an agreement state to approve authorized nuclear pharmacists.

DHS 157.03(34) (34) “Authorized user” means a state licensed person engaged in the healing arts who fulfills at least one of the following:

DHS 157.03(34)(a) (a) Meets the recentness of training requirements in s. DHS 157.61 (11) and the certification requirement, depending upon the desired use of the radioactive material, found in any of the following:

DHS 157.03(34)(a)1. 1. Section DHS 157.63 (4) (a).

DHS 157.03(34)(a)2. 2. Section DHS 157.63 (5) (a).

DHS 157.03(34)(a)3. 3. Section DHS 157.64 (4) (a).

DHS 157.03(34)(a)4. 4. Section DHS 157.64 (5) (a).

DHS 157.03(34)(a)5. 5. Section DHS 157.64 (6) (a).

DHS 157.03(34)(a)6. 6. Section DHS 157.65 (8) (a).

DHS 157.03(34)(a)7. 7. Section DHS 157.66 (2) (a).