Section 120.515 - Authority and Responsibilities for the Radiation Protection Program(A) In addition to the radiation protection program requirements of 105 CMR 120.210, a licensee's management must approve in writing:(1) Requests for license application, renewal, or amendments before submittal to the Agency;(2) Any individual before allowing that individual to work as an authorized user, authorized nuclear pharmacist or authorized medical physicist; and(3) Radiation protection program changes that do not require a license amendment and are permitted under 105 CMR 120.517.(B) A licensee's management shall appoint a Radiation Safety Officer, who agrees in writing to be responsible for implementing the radiation protection program. The licensee, through the Radiation Safety Officer, shall ensure that radiation safety activities are being performed in accordance with licensee-approved procedures and regulatory requirements. A licensee's management may appoint, in writing, one or more Associate Radiation Safety Officers to support the Radiation Safety Officer. The Radiation Safety Officer, with written agreement of the licensee's management, must assign the specific duties and tasks to each Associate Radiation Safety Officer. These duties and tasks are restricted to the types of use for which the Associate Radiation Safety Officer is listed on a license. The Radiation Safety Officer may delegate duties and tasks to the Associate Radiation Safety Officer, but shall not delegate the authority or responsibilities for implementing the radiation protection program.(C) For up to 60 days each year, a licensee may permit an individual qualified to be a Radiation Safety Officer, under 105 CMR 120.534 and 120.529, to function as a temporary Radiation Safety Officer and to perform the functions of a Radiation Safety Officer, as provided in 105 CMR 120.515(E), provided the licensee takes the actions required in 105 CMR 120.515(B), (D), (E) and (H) and notifies the Agency in accordance with 105 CMR 120.509(B).(D) A licensee may simultaneously appoint more than one temporary Radiation Safety Officer in accordance with 105 CMR 120.515(C), if needed to ensure that the licensee has a temporary Radiation Safety Officer that satisfies the requirements to be a Radiation Safety Officer for each of the different types of uses of radioactive material permitted by the license.(E) A licensee shall establish the authority, duties, and responsibilities of the Radiation Safety Officer in writing.(F) A licensee shall provide the Radiation Safety Officer sufficient authority, organizational freedom, time, resources, and management prerogative, to: (1) Identify radiation safety problems;(2) Initiate, recommend, or provide corrective actions;(3) Stop unsafe operations; and,(4) Verify implementation of corrective actions.(G) Licensees that are authorized for two or more different types of radioactive material use under 105 CMR 120.552, 120.559, 120.570, and 120.589, or two or more types of units under 105 CMR 120.570 shall establish a Radiation Safety Committee to oversee all uses of radioactive material permitted by the license. The Committee must include an authorized user of each type of use permitted by the license, the Radiation Safety Officer, a representative of the nursing service, and a representative of management who is neither an authorized user nor a Radiation Safety Officer, and may include other members as the licensee deems appropriate.(H) A licensee's Radiation Safety Committee shall meet as necessary, but at a minimum shall meet at intervals not to exceed six months. The licensee shall maintain minutes of each meeting in accordance with 105 CMR 120.590(A).(I) A licensee shall retain a record of actions taken pursuant to 105 CMR 120.515(A), (B) and (E) in accordance with 105 CMR 120.590(A).Amended by Mass Register Issue 1480, eff. 10/14/2022.