INTRODUCTION

The Machine Source Section of the Bureau of Radiological Health (BRH) administers New Jersey's program to register and inspect all x-ray equipment within the state. There are almost 22,000 x-ray machines registered in New Jersey. It is the responsibility of the owner to register the equipment and to see that it complies with all applicable sections of the New Jersey Administrative Code (N.J.A.C. 7:28) at all times. A copy of N.J.A.C. 7:28 is available from the BRH. All machine sources of radiation must be registered with the BRH. In other words, if it has an x-ray tube in it, it must be registered.

The owner of the unit must complete and return to the BRH a "Registration of a Radiation Producing Machine" form within 30 days of the installation of each unit. If the equipment is leased, the Department considers the person in possession of the machine to be the "owner" and responsible for complying with all regulations. The Bureau must also be notified when the unit is sold or moved to a different address or disposed of within 30 days of each change. All changes must be submitted to the BRH in writing. Send all changes to:

Bureau of Radiological Health
PO BOX 415
Trenton NJ    08625

Before installing an x-ray machine, a qualified individual should design or review the design of the x-ray room to ensure that an appropriate amount of shielding is installed. The Bureau of Radiological Health does not perform any pre-installation inspection/service.

The owner also is required to have a qualified individual perform a radiation safety survey on each unit and submit it to the BRH within 60 days of installation. It does not need to be done again unless the unit is moved to a different location or major repairs/alterations are done to either the equipment or the room. A radiation safety survey must be completed and submitted within 60 days of each change.

The Bureau of Radiological Health will inspect the unit after the installation is completed. The owner may use the unit prior to the BRH's inspection. We will call the facility and schedule the inspection with the owner. Due to our workload, it is not possible to give an estimated date for inspection of any individual facility. During the inspection, we will check to be sure the x-ray machine is working properly and is complying with the applicable regulations (N.J.A.C. 7:28). We will also verify that all persons operating the equipment are properly licenced.

If a facility is found to have violations of N.J.A.C. 7:28 during an inspection, the facility will receive one or more of the following:

1. Notice of Violation (NOV): The Notice of Violation is issued by the inspector at the close of the inspection. All violations cited by Notice of Violation must be corrected within 30 calendar days of the inspection date.

2. Administrative Order (AO): The Administrative Order is issued by our Bureau of Enforcement Services and will arrive by certified mail a few weeks after the inspection. All violations cited by Administrative Order must be corrected by the due date stated on the AO.

3. Notice of Prosecution (NOP): The Notice of Prosecution is issued by our Bureau of Enforcement Services and will arrive by certified mail a few weeks after the inspection. All violations cited by Notice of Prosecution must be corrected within 30 calendar days of the issue date of the NOP.

Here's what to do if there is a violation found at your facility.

There is an application and annual registration fee for each x-ray machine. Do not send a check with your registration form. We will mail you an invoice after your registration is processed. This invoice is necessary for the proper crediting of your payment.

• X-Ray Machine Source Registration Form
• Fee Schedule

DISPOSAL OF A RADIATION-PRODUCING MACHINE

To dispose of an ionizing radiation producing machine you must totally disable the unit. In most cases it is best to contact a commercial x-ray assembler for this task. To disable, the head should be removed from the unit and the electric cord, if present, cut off. Please do not smash the x-ray tube. The x-ray tube is under a vacuum and you may be injured by glass fragments if you break the tube.

Before disposing of the unit, please complete, sign and return to the BRH a "Disposed Machine Form". If you have purchased a replacement unit, and have not already done so, please complete, sign and return to the BRH a "REGISTRATION OF A RADIATION PRODUCING MACHINE" form for the new unit. For a copy of these forms, please contact our office, or click here.

Once the forms are mailed to us, you may then have the x-ray unit removed by contacting your local trash company. Please check with them to see that they will accept the unit. You also may wish to contact companies that sell/repair x-ray equipment and ask if they will dispose of the unit for you. There may be a charge for this service. Alternately, you may wish to sell the metal components for scrap. Click here to view list of Commercial X-ray Assemblers. These companies sell, repair, purchase and dispose of x-ray equipment.

For Quality Assurance Downloads please click here.

To learn about who can operate an x-ray machine, visit the Technologist Certification Section's web page.

Certain installations are required to provide personnel monitoring devices (film badges or finger badges) to their employees. Basic requirements for the use of personnel monitoring devices is found in N.J.A.C. 7:28-7.4. Any facility may use personnel monitoring devices even though it is not specifically required by N.J.A.C. 7:28. Some types of non-medical equipment have specific requirements for personnel monitoring in addition to the requirements of N.J.A.C. 7:28-7.4. These requirements will be in the chapters dealing with that specific category of equipment. Click here for a list of companies that provide Commerical Personnel Monitoring Services.

There are additional requirements for mammography equipment which are set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Visit the Mammography Section's web page for more information.

If you have further questions, please contact the BRH at 609-984-5370.