Part 2Objects and principles

Part 2—Objects and principles 5—Objects of Act The objects of this Act are— (a) to protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation by applying the radiation protection principle; and (b) to ensure that radiation sources are secured against misuse that may result in harm to people or the environment; and (c) to recognise the benefits of the safe and justified uses of radiation; and (d) to promote the principles of ecologically sustainable development. 6—Radiation protection principle (1) The radiation protection principle is the principle that people and the environment should be protected from unnecessary exposure to radiation through the processes of justification, limitation and optimisation. (2) Justification involves— (a) assessing whether the benefits of a practice involving ionising radiation or its use outweigh the detriment; and (b) only adopting the practice if it produces sufficient benefit to outweigh the detriment. (3) Limitation involves— (a) setting radiation dose limits or specifying radiation emission or absorption standards and ensuring compliance with those limits or standards; or (b) imposing other measures and ensuring compliance with those measures, so that the risks to people and the environment from exposure to radiation are below levels considered unacceptable. (4) Optimisation of protection, in relation to the conduct of a radiation practice, or the use of a radiation source, that may expose people or the environment to ionising radiation, means the following: (a) keeping the magnitude of individual doses of, or the number of people that may be exposed to, ionising radiation as low as is reasonably achievable, taking into account economic, social and environmental factors; (b) if the magnitude of individual doses, or the number of people that may be exposed, is uncertain—keeping the likelihood of incurring exposures of ionising radiation as low as is reasonably achievable, taking into account economic, social and environmental factors. 7—Principles of ecologically sustainable development The principles of ecologically sustainable development are the principles set out in section 10(1)(a) of the Environment Protection Act 1993.