Before becoming the owner of medical X-ray equipment, it is essential to understand that many subsequent years of effective, uninterrupted, and safe operation largely depend on the premises where the equipment will be located.

The specialists of DRIVE LTD recommend following the sequence of actions below:

1. Make a decision on the replacement and/or installation of new medical X-ray equipment.
2. Select the premises for the installation of medical X-ray equipment.

Note: requirements for room area, depending on the type of unit, should be checked in the appendices to the applicable regulatory acts of the Republic of Belarus, including SanPiN 2.6.1.8-38-2003 and other regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Belarus.

BAD: incorrect office plan provided.

GOOD: proper organization of the workplace, convenience and comfort in use

Important: determine whether interventional procedures will be performed and whether anesthetics will be used in the X-ray room.

Obtaining the Technical Passport:

3. To obtain it, it is necessary to select a design organization and prepare design documentation.

Important: the design organization must hold a license for the design of radiation facilities. See the register on the website of the Department for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus — Gosatomnadzor of the Republic of Belarus.

4. Obtain technical requirements for the Terms of Reference to be submitted to the design institute from the supplier of medical equipment.

Important: contact the equipment supplier as early as possible to obtain general technical requirements or, in the case of DRIVE LTD, requirements supplemented with reference to the specific room.

GOOD: Correctly made cable channels, convenient for installation and maintenance, removable covers along the entire length

If DRIVE LTD is the equipment supplier, you will be provided with:

• technical data for the medical X-ray equipment;
• recommendations for specific premises intended for the installation of X-ray equipment.

GOOD: The project included calculations for the protection of walls, X-ray protective window and door, and grounding busbar.

5. Conduct a technical expert assessment of buildings/premises before design work. It is recommended to check:

• the condition of floor slabs;
• permanent X-ray shielding;
• the power supply network;
• the grounding circuit.

6. Develop design documentation taking into account the requirements of the medical X-ray equipment supplier. If the supplier is unknown at the time of project development and project examination, it will subsequently be necessary to amend the project; otherwise, installation of the equipment may be impossible.
7. The technical data must specify:

• the type of X-ray unit and the scope of delivery;
• the power rating of the X-ray unit;
• requirements for the power supply network and grounding of the unit;
• approximate dimensions and weight of the unit, for calculating the load on floor slabs;
• dimensions and weight in packaging, for planning delivery routes and, where necessary, providing for an installation opening;
• requirements for foundations, cable ducts, and embedded elements;
• requirements for LAN and low-current systems;
• general requirements for room arrangement and microclimate.

GOOD: Experience and professionalism guarantee the quality of work

8. Obtain recommendations from the equipment supplier with the placement of the unit referenced to the specific room, if the supplier is DRIVE LTD.
9. The design documentation package must mandatorily include:

• information on the placement of the X-ray unit in the room, with reference dimensions to the walls;
• calculation of the load on the floor slab;
• calculation of the X-ray room shielding based on the supplier’s data, including a description of the necessity for and methods of installing windows, doors, shutters, socket boxes, openings between rooms of the suite, etc.;
• the method of delivering the equipment to the room;
• a description of the foundation structure, embedded elements, cable ducts, and the floor build-up;
• a section on the power supply of the X-ray unit and accessories;
• calculation of the cross-section of power cables and the grounding system of the unit. Important: the unit operates in short-duration load mode; standardized calculation methods for continuous consumers are not suitable;
• a section on low-current systems;
• a section on the LAN;
• a section on ventilation.

10. Undergo examination of the design documentation by an authorized organization of the Republic of Belarus.
11. The customer shall carry out procurement procedures for the equipment under the project.

Important: verify the completeness of the unit’s delivery set under the project against the supplier’s data.

Example: an “intercom system” is not included in the delivery set supplied by DRIVE LTD.

BAD: There should be no communications in the places where the equipment is installed.

BAD: Damaged equipment is voided from warranty.

12. The customer shall submit an order/application to Gosatomnadzor of the Republic of Belarus for the supply of X-ray equipment.
13. Search for a contractor organization to perform construction works.
14. Carry out construction, installation, finishing, and commissioning works in the premises.
15. Call the specialists of the X-ray equipment supplier at the stage of arranging foundations and underfloor cable ducts in order to monitor compliance with the manufacturer’s requirements for the medical X-ray equipment.
16. Comply with the requirements for the commencement of commissioning works for the X-ray unit:

• final finishing of the room has been completed; the walls are painted and the floor covering has been installed;
• the power supply of the X-ray unit has been connected according to the permanent scheme;
• electrical and physical tests have been carried out;
• microclimate requirements have been met;
• the equipment has been delivered to the same level as the X-ray room;
• furniture for the placement of equipment and accessories has been installed.

Important: the installation organization is not entitled to begin work without confirmation that the work can be performed safely:

• all elements of permanent X-ray shielding have been installed, including the concealed works certificate for barite shielding, shutters, window, and X-ray protective doors;
• the grounding circuit has been checked and the grounding connection of the X-ray unit to the grounding electrode has been made.

BAD: The old power cable is not suitable for installing new equipment.

17. Call the specialists of DRIVE LTD when the room is ready, for acceptance of the premises according to the Protocol of Readiness of Premises for the Installation of Medical X-Ray Equipment. The integrity of the packaging of the delivered equipment is checked.
18. After a positive result of the inspection of the readiness of the premises for installation, the facility is placed in the installation queue within the timeframes stipulated by the equipment supply contract.
19. Comply with the equipment preservation conditions:

• finishing works in the premises must not be performed simultaneously with the installation of medical X-ray equipment;
• access to the room containing the equipment must be closed to all organizations except the installation organization.

20. Installation of the unit by a representative of the equipment supplier. Upon completion, the following are provided:

BAD: Installation of equipment takes time and cannot be done in the middle of construction

• a certificate of completed installation and commissioning works;
• a certified copy of the registration certificate of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus for the X-ray unit;
• a set of operating documentation in the state language;
• a control and technical logbook, i.e. the maintenance logbook;
• a personnel training protocol on the use of the X-ray unit, indicating the persons who have undergone training. By agreement of the parties, personnel training may be postponed to a later date, until the operating organization appears and category “personnel” employees are available within it;
• the results of OPC, operational parameter control, performed by an accredited laboratory, if provided for by the supply contract; if not provided for, the customer must order such works separately;
• an entry in the passport/data sheet on putting the unit into operation, signed by the representative of the equipment supplier and by the operating organization.

Commissioning of the unit has been completed.

BAD: DRIVE Ltd. was called to check the readiness of the premises for installation.

21. Acceptance of the room with the unit for operation.
22. The customer shall order works from OLBiD, the Department of Radiation Safety and Dosimetry, to conduct dosimetric measurements of the effectiveness of the X-ray protection measures.
23. The customer shall prepare a package of documents for putting the X-ray room into operation, in accordance with the appendices to SanPiN 2.6.1.8-38-2003 and the applicable regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Belarus.
24. Obtain the sanitary passport from the territorial authority of state sanitary supervision of the Republic of Belarus.
25. Obtain the technical passport for the room from OLBiD.
26. Obtain from Gosatomnadzor of the Republic of Belarus the Terms of Reference for conducting the expert examination.
27. Select an organization to conduct the expert examination and conclude a contract.
28. Obtain recommendations from Gosatomnadzor of the Republic of Belarus based on the expert examination of the room: either to amend the license or to obtain a license, in the case of new construction, for the right to carry out activities in the field of the use of atomic energy and sources of ionizing radiation.

The result of the joint work of professionals: Effective, reliable and safe operation of the X-ray service.