In accordance with state and federal regulations, the Radiation Safety Committee evaluates all proposals for and maintains surveillance over all use of radioactive materials and radiation-producing equipment within University purview.
Meeting Schedule and RUA Submission Deadlines
The Radiation Safety Committee meets monthly. Additional special meetings are convened as needed.
The deadline to submit protocols in support of Radiation Use Authorizations (RUAs) is two weeks before the meeting. To submit a protocol for review or add an agenda item for a given meeting, submit a Radiation Use Authorization (RUA) via the iStar application before the deadline listed below.
| Submission Deadline | RSC Meeting Date* |
|---|---|
| December 26, 2023 | January 18, 2024 |
| January 26, 2024 | February 8, 2024 |
| February 26, 2024 | March 14, 2024 |
| March 26, 2024 | April 11, 2024 |
| April 26, 2024 | May 9, 2024 |
| May 26, 2024 | June 13, 2024 |
| June 26, 2024 | July 11, 2024 |
| July 26, 2024 | August 8. 2024 |
| August 26, 2024 | September 12, 2024 |
| September 26, 2024 | October 10, 2024 |
| October 26, 2024 | November 14, 2024 |
| November 26, 2024 | December 5, 2024 |
| December 26, 2024 |
*All meetings are held in SBA 329. Committee members may participate online via https://zoom.us/j/9984085137.
Voting Guidelines
The RSC will review submissions and reach one of the following decisions.
Approved
- No additional questions or clarifications have been requested by the RSC
- Investigator may begin the research outlined in the protocol
- Approved for 3 years
Approved with Stipulations
- Questions or issues must be addressed by the PI and resolved before full approval
- No research may be initiated until all conditions have been met and full approval has been obtained.
- PI must respond in writing to all conditions within 60 days of notification
- After 60 days with no response, another letter is sent by the RSC to the PI requesting a response
- After an additional 30 days with no response, the protocol or modification is withdrawn
- The PI’s response to the conditions is returned to the Radiation Safety Officer and the RSC Chairperson
- Will confirm that the response is satisfactory and the protocol will be given full approval.
- All time periods are pending no unforeseen circumstances
- Examples of stipulations may include: confirming training requirements, ensuring certification of equipment, reinforcing a point to the investigator, etc.
Tabled
- RSC has substantive concerns with the protocol
- Once the PI responds, the protocol must be reviewed once again by the RSC
- No research shall be initiated at this time until a satisfactory response is received and full approval has been granted.
- The PI must respond in writing to all conditions within 60 days of receipt of the RSC memo
- After 60 days with no response, another letter is sent by the RSC
- After an additional 30 days with no response, the protocol or modification is withdrawn
- All time periods are pending no unforeseen circumstances
- An example of a tabled protocol may include protocols that were not approved by other USC committees (IRB, IACUC), insufficient training or expertise, etc.
Rejected
- The Committee has major concerns with the protocol.
- Protocol may pose severe or unnecessary risk, may have been deferred several times, or the problems with the proposed protocol have not been adequately addressed
- Further revisions will not be accepted
- PI must re-write the protocol with substantial changes and resubmit to the RSC as a new protocol
Withdrawn
- The submission has been removed from further consideration by the RSC
- May occur because the PI failed to respond to Committee questions in the allotted time
- Or PI has withdrawn the protocol or amendment for other reasons
Terminated
- The protocol or permit is no longer active and research outlined in the protocol must not be conducted
- PI may terminate the protocol at any time by contacting Radiation Safety in writing
- Investigator may also indicate to terminate the protocol during the renewal process
- If concerns regarding an active protocol are brought forth to the committee, the RSC may vote to terminate the protocol.
Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities of the Radiation Safety Committee include:
- Formulating general policy governing the use of radioactive materials and radiation-producing equipment
- Reviewing and approving all requests for use of radioactive material and radiation-producing machines
- Determining that all individuals authorized to use radioactive materials and radiation-producing equipment have sufficient training and experience to perform their duties safely
- Establishing a program to ensure that all individuals whose duties may require them to work in the vicinity of radioactive material or radiation-producing machines are properly instructed about all appropriate health and safety matters
- Conducting an annual review of the radiation safety program to determine that all activities are performed safely and in accordance with California Radiation Control Regulations and the University’s license.
Membership
The Committee consists of at least twelve voting members appointed by the Office of the President.
Membership includes, at minimum:
- 10 faculty members who are either physicians or particularly knowledgeable about radioactive materials and radiation-producing machines for diagnosis, therapy or research;
- Two ex officio members: the Associate Senior Vice President for Administrative Operations and the Radiation Safety Officer.
Committee members serve for a one year term. The chairman is designated by the President and selected from among the faculty representatives on the Committee. The faculty pool derives from three sources: nominations by the Faculty Senate, nominations by deans, and faculty self-nominations.
The Committee reports administratively to the President through the Senior Vice President, Administration and General Counsel, and works closely with the Associate Senior Vice President for Administrative Operations, whose office provides the staff support for the Committee.