What Colorado's rules say about ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable), dose limits in millisieverts (mSv), dosimeters, aprons and training for the people who work in fluoroscopy labs.
Please double-check this information. This is an ORSIF research summary, researched November 3, 2026. It is not comprehensive and not always accurate: rules change, and answers may be incomplete, out of date or wrong. It is education, not legal advice. Not yet reviewed by a regulatory expert. Confirm each requirement at the source linked beside the answer, with the state program and with your facility's radiation safety officer. How this was made
ORSIF's research identified the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Division, Radiation Control Program; rules adopted by the State Board of Health as the agency that regulates X-ray and fluoroscopy equipment in Colorado. Colorado is a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Agreement State: it has signed an agreement with the NRC to regulate certain radioactive materials itself.
Colorado's ALARA requirement is in its unified Part 4 (§4.5.2), which covers both radioactive-materials licensees and X-ray registrants; Part 6 points back to it. Colorado uses the standard federal dose limits (50 mSv whole body, 150 mSv lens, 500 mSv skin/extremity, 5 mSv embryo/fetus) and has not adopted a lower lens limit. Fluoroscopy staff must wear aprons or stand behind shields of at least 0.25 mm lead equivalent, and aprons must be checked visually and by touch every year. Barriers and shields are accepted as alternatives, but engineered protection systems are not named. Since 2021, fluoroscopy operators must be physicians, certain American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) or radiologist-assistant credential holders, or registered fluoroscopy operators (PAs, APRNs and certified cardiovascular lab specialists with 40 hours of coursework and 40 hours of supervised clinical experience). The Part 6 findings are based on the 2020 text and need checking against the 2024 version.
Every answer names the rule it comes from. Open "Rule text and source" to read the citation, the source page and, where it could be matched, the exact wording.
Which rules apply, and whether ALARA is among them.
Yes. Colorado is not on the NRC list of non-Agreement States, and its rules include a radioactive-materials licensing part.
RADIATION CONTROL - LICENSING OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALThis quote was matched word for word to the source page.
6 CCR 1007-1: Part 4 (Standards for Protection Against Radiation, eff. 12/15/2023), Part 6 (X-Ray Imaging in the Healing Arts, eff. 04/14/2024), Part 2 (Registration of Radiation Machines, Facilities and Services, eff. 04/14/2024), and Part 1 (General Provisions, eff. 11/14/2017). The Part 4 text was read in a copy filed with the NRC, not the official SOS PDF.
This Part 4 establishes standards for protection against ionizing radiation resulting from activities conducted pursuant to licenses or registrations issued by the Department.This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
Yes. §4.5.2 requires every licensee or registrant, including X-ray registrants, to use procedures and engineering controls that keep occupational doses ALARA.
Where ALARA lives in Colorado: Only in a rule shared with radioactive materials. The only operative ALARA sentence is in the unified Part 4 (§4.5.2), which applies to both licensees and registrants (§4.1.4.1). In the 2020 text, Part 6 cross-references Part 4 (§6.3.3.1) rather than creating its own ALARA duty, apart from one X-ray-specific line on auxiliary equipment designed to minimize exposure. (§4.1.4.1; §4.5.2; §6.3.3.1 (2020 version))
The licensee or registrant shall use, to the extent practical, procedures and engineering controls based upon sound radiation protection principles to achieve occupational doses and doses to members of the public that are as low as is reasonably achievable (ALARA).This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
The annual limits for workers, written in millisieverts (mSv). Ten mSv equal one rem.
50 mSv (5 rem) TEDE per year for adults.
150 mSv (15 rem) per year. Colorado has not adopted a lower lens limit.
(1) A lens dose equivalent of 0.15 Sv (15 rem), and (2) A shallow dose equivalent of 0.5 Sv (50 rem) to the skin of the whole body or to the skin of any extremity.This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
500 mSv (50 rem) per year shallow dose to the skin of the whole body or any extremity.
(1) A lens dose equivalent of 0.15 Sv (15 rem), and (2) A shallow dose equivalent of 0.5 Sv (50 rem) to the skin of the whole body or to the skin of any extremity.This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
5 mSv (0.5 rem) to the embryo/fetus over the whole pregnancy, with efforts to avoid substantial month-to-month variation in dose (§4.13.2).
When a worker must wear a dosimeter, and where.
Monitoring is required for adults likely to receive more than 10% of the §4.6.1 limits; minors likely to exceed 1 mSv deep dose, 1.5 mSv lens dose or 5 mSv skin/extremity dose; declared pregnant women likely to exceed 1 mSv deep dose over the pregnancy; and anyone entering high or very high radiation areas. In the 2020 text, §6.3.3.11 applies these duties to X-ray staff.
Adults likely to receive, in 1 year from sources external to the body, a dose in excess of 10 percent of the limits in 4.6.1;This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
Under 145 kVp with lead garments, the registrant may calculate assigned dose using NRC RIS 2002-06 methods, Department-approved methods, or Colorado's equations: 0.06 × (collar - waist) + waist without a thyroid collar, and 0.02 × (collar - waist) + waist with one. Without an approved method, deep-dose equivalent replaces effective dose equivalent. National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) 122 and Webster are not named. No explicit badge-location rule was found; assigned deep dose must be for the part of the body receiving the highest exposure.
In the case of occupational exposures to x-rays with accelerating voltages of less than 145 kVp and where the worker utilizes lead garment protection, the registrant may calculate the assigned dose equivalent using methods discussed in NRC Regulatory Information Summary (RIS) 2002-06This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
Protective apparel, how it is checked, and whether other systems are addressed.
Based on the 2020 text: ancillary shielding must be available and used for stationary fluoroscopes. Where sterile fields prevent normal barriers, everyone except the patient must wear aprons or stand behind a shield of at least 0.25 mm lead equivalent. Staff must be protected by at least 0.25 mm lead equivalent from scatter and 0.5 mm from the direct beam, with a radiation safety officer (RSO) exception. No thyroid shield or eyewear requirement was found for human fluoroscopy staff.
All persons, except the patient, in the room where fluoroscopy is performed shall wear protective apparel (aprons) or shall be positioned behind a stationary or portable shield that provides a lead equivalent shielding of at least 0.25mm;This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
Yes, annually under a written procedure, by visual inspection plus a tactile test; X-ray or fluoroscopic imaging of aprons is not required. Garments must be labeled with lead equivalence and hung, failed items must be removed from service, repaired or replaced, and records kept for 3 years (2020 text).
All protective apparel and auxiliary shields shall be evaluated annually for integrity.This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
Engineered radiation protection systems are not addressed by name. Whole body protective barriers and stationary or portable shields are accepted as alternatives to garments. It is unclear whether ceiling- or floor-mounted systems qualify, and no approval process was found.
All persons shall be protected from scatter radiation by protective garments, safety equipment or whole body protective barriers of at least 0.25 millimeter lead equivalent materialThis quote was matched word for word to the source page.
Who may use fluoroscopy equipment and what training the rules ask for.
Since January 1, 2021, fluoroscopy operators on living humans must be Colorado-licensed physicians, RRA/RPA meeting Appendix 2G, technologists with R.T.(R), (CV), (CI), (VI) or (T), or registered fluoroscopy operators. Registration is limited to licensed PAs, licensed APRNs and nationally certified cardiovascular lab specialists aged 18 or older. Limited-scope operators may not do fluoroscopy, and no category was found for non-APRN RNs. The 2020 text requires direct supervision; the current §6.3.1.6 adds a personal-supervision route for operators who meet Appendix 2O training.
On or after January 1, 2021, each individual operating a fluoroscopy imaging system on living humans shall be registered with the department as a fluoroscopy operator consistent with 2.4.5.5(2) or 2.4.5.5(3), except for:This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
Registration requires at least 40 hours of coursework, 40 hours of clinical experience under the personal supervision of a Colorado-licensed physician, and a credential: a passing ARRT fluoroscopy exam for PAs and APRNs, or CCI RCIS/RCES or another Department-approved credential for others. Registration lasts two years and is renewed by resubmitting a current license or certification; no continuing education (CE) hours were found. Physicians are deemed trained, but everyone who operates or supervises fluoroscopy needs documented training under §2.6.1.5, which since 2022 must cover patient and staff radiation protection, dose units and the outputs of each operating mode.
Has completed a course that includes at least forty (40) hours of education on topics that include, but are not limited to, radiation physics, radiation biology, radiation safety and radiation management applicable to fluoroscopy;This quote was matched word for word to the source page.
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