Amendments to the Rules: Notes and Motions for the Ballot The following Motions were accepted by the Society at the April AGM; all received the overwhelming support of the meeting.   The Rules require that these Motions now go to Full Members and Graduate Members for a postal ballot.  For a Motion to be successful it requires at lest three fourths of those voting to be in favour. Regulations Motion I   Regulation 28. Add after current last sentence “ Evidence of non- compliance with the Code of Conduct may be taken into consideration when determining the need for cessation of membership.” Byelaws  Motion II  New Byelaw: “8. Code of conduct. 8.1  Members are expected to conduct themselves with professional integrity and in particular to follow the Code of Conduct set out in Schedule I.”   Current Byelaws 8-22 to be renumbered 9-23. Schedules   Motion III New Schedule I CODE OF CONDUCT General 1. This Code of Conduct is applicable to members of the Society at all grades whenever they are exercising their professional expertise. 2. At all times exercise your professional skill and judgement to the best of your ability and discharge your responsibilities with integrity and full regard to the public interest. Do not allow possible self-interest or management pressures to compromise your advice. Responsibilities towards employers, management and clients 3. As a member you should satisfy yourself as to the extent and content of the professional functions required of you in any particular case and, if in any doubt, obtain such clarification or confirmation as is necessary to satisfy yourself in respect of those functions before entering upon them. You should not accept professional obligations that you are not qualified, or you believe yourself not competent, to discharge. 4. When required to do so, you should provide advice that is, to the best of your ability, objective and reliable and based on sound radiation protection principles. If that advice is rejected you should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the possible consequences of so doing are made known to the appropriate person or persons. 5. As a member you should inform any person for whom you perform a professional function of any potential or actual conflict between service to them and personal interests. You should seek to avoid/minimise such conflicts. 6. As a member you should not improperly disclose any information concerning the business of a person for whom you have at any time carried out a professional function. 7. As a member you should not accept remuneration, payments, gifts or hospitality in respect of a professional function other than from whoever commissioned that function unless appropriate permission has been obtained. Responsibilities towards persons possibly at risk 8. While recognising that you have an obligation of loyalty to persons for whom you are performing a professional function, you should at all times exercise due diligence to ensure that exposures and potential exposures of occupationally exposed persons and members of the public are kept as low as reasonably practicable. The well being and interests of patients should be safeguarded at all times. Responsibilities towards fellow professionals and professional societies 9. As a member you should take personal responsibility for any work done under your supervision or direction and you should take all reasonable steps to ensure that persons carrying out such work are competent to perform such tasks as may be assigned to them. 10. If called upon to provide a second opinion, you should confine yourself to an objective assessment of the problem and evidence. You should not maliciously or recklessly injure or attempt to injure, whether directly or indirectly, the professional reputation, business or prospects of another; nor should you take advantage of any position you hold to compete unfairly with them. 11. As a member you should not knowingly bring into disrepute the Society or Partner Societies. 12. As a member you should work in a collaborative and co-operative manner with other radiation protection practitioners and professionals of other relevant sectors such as general safety, occupational hygiene and health care. 13. As a member you should be aware of the workload and pressures on colleagues and subordinates and take appropriate action if these could threaten safe standards of practice. Responsibilities towards yourself 14. As a member you should take all necessary steps to maintain and enhance your professional qualifications, knowledge and competence. 15. As a member you should be aware of your workload and pressures and should take appropriate action if these might prejudice your professionalism . Discipline 16. Where there is any reason to believe that you have not abided by the provisions of this Code, the procedure laid down in Regulation 28 of the Rules of the Society will be applied insofar as the matter will be considered by the Council.   top of page