May 22, 2012 -- The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will begin a three-month amnesty program on June 1 to help identify unregistered X-ray machines and bring operators into compliance.
"This initiative offers a limited-time opportunity for medical providers to come into regulatory compliance without suffering a penalty," DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. "The registration and inspection program is essential to safeguard all Pennsylvanians from unnecessary exposure to radiation while maintaining proper diagnostic quality."
All health care providers with radiation-emitting equipment are required to register their machines with DEP. The providers are required to pay equipment-registration and inspection fees, which go toward Bureau of Radiation Protection operations.
The amnesty period will give unregistered medical facilities the opportunity to comply with current regulations. While they will be required to pay all delinquent and current fees, they will be absolved of any potential civil penalties related to registration.
The amnesty period will run from June 1 to Aug. 31. During that time, DEP's Bureau of Radiation Protection will contact medical, dental, podiatric, chiropractic and veterinary associations to let them know about the amnesty program and reinforce details of the agency's regulations.
For more information: www.dep.state.pa.us