Notifying IR(ME)R Incidents

Employers must tell us about exposures judged to be ‘significant’ or ‘clinically significant’ accidental or unintended exposures.

The Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 are designed to protect people while undergoing examinations and treatment using ionising radiation.

When there is an accidental or unintended exposure to ionising radiation, and the IR(ME)R employer knows or thinks that it is significant, they must investigate the incident and report it to the appropriate UK IR(ME)R enforcing authority (under Regulation 8(4)).

There is guidance available to download at the bottom of this page that tells you which incidents you need to report. This replaces the previous guidance on investigation and notification of medical exposures much greater than intended (MGTI) under IR(ME)R 2000, and is jointly agreed by the English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland enforcement authorities.

Make an IR(ME)R Notification

The form for notifying IR(ME)R incidents is available to download at the bottom of the page and includes guidance on the different ways the form can be submitted.

What happens next?

After you submit the form we will send you an email containing your IR(ME)R notification reference number. Use this reference number whenever you contact us.

When you have completed an investigation report, send it to HIW in the same manner as you submitted the original incident form within the timeframe stated in the guidance. The report must be anonymised and include no patient identifiable information in line with GDPR.

How HIW process notifications

We:

1. conduct initial risk triage and acknowledge the notification
2. review the full report
3. progress the notification by email correspondence or a site visit
4. provisionally close the notification by email
5. email your CEO to confirm closure
6. categorise the incident for internal reporting
7. publish headline findings in our annual report