Are action levels for notification of the RSO required by regulation or agency policy?
No, there are no regulations which explicitly require a licensee to establish action levels for RSO notification for package receipt surveys. However, the agency does support such efforts and deems these practices to be consistent with the ALARA principles established in the regulations. The establishment of “action levels” for RSO notification should be set well below the limits referenced above. Typically, these “action levels” are set 5 times lower than the limits referenced above (i.e., a package > 2 mrem/hr at one meter or > 40 mrem/hr on contact). If the licensee makes a decision to implement “action levels” then due consideration should be given to the type of packages received (e.g. Yellow II or Yellow III) and the levels should be set accordingly. Again, the agency does not require that any package receipt “action levels” be set.
