A new report from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has revealed human error remains the biggest factor in radiation incidents reported to the Agency.
Head of the Regulatory Services Branch at ARPANSA, Jim Scott said the data contained in the Australian Radiation Incident Register (ARIR) report had been collated from radiation regulators around the country.
“It’s good to see that we are continuing to see an increase in the number of submissions to the ARIR, as awareness of the register increases,” Mr Scott said.
‘The report provides hospitals and other organisations that use radiation a unique opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences, and continue to develop safety practices and culture in their workplace.”
The report found that 723 incidents were reported in 2018 — a 26 per cent increase from the previous year — with medical procedures accounting for 98 per cent of incidents.
Mr Scott said human error was a factor in 65 per cent of incidents, while malfunction of medical equipment accounted for 19 per cent of incidents.
“As in previous years, the 2018 data shows that human error continues to be the most common trigger of radiation incidents and contributes to many others,” he said.
Mr Scott said understanding the contributing factors that led to human error was the key to avoiding similar incidents in the future.
“This reinforces the importance of a strong safety culture as well as the need to continue to innovate and identify solutions that reduce the likelihood of error,” he said.
The 32-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
