(a) Except as provided in subdivisions (b) and (c), the department shall exempt a bomb squad of a city, city and county, county, special district, or the State of California, including the University of California, from the requirements of Section 30336.1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations if all of the following requirements are met:

(1) All operators of ionizing sources of radiation are explosive ordnance disposal technicians certified as bomb technicians by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation or a successor federal agency responsible for training and certifying bomb technicians. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to authorize the use, possession, or transfer of radioactive material.

(2) (A) A radiation safety officer, who is certified as a bomb technician by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation or a successor federal agency responsible for training and certifying bomb technicians, is designated by the employing jurisdiction.

(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), the radiation safety officer is exempt from the requirements of Section 30336.7 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(C) The radiation safety officer shall comply with subdivision (b) of Section 30336.7 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.

(3) The bomb squad has written operating procedures that apply to the kinds of radiation machines used by the bomb squad and are followed by applicable personnel.

(4) Radiation machines maintained and operated by the bomb squad meet the requirements specified in the American National Standard N537-1976 “Radiological Safety Standards for the Design of Radiographic and Fluoroscopic Industrial X-Ray Equipment” published as NBS Handbook 123, issued August 1977, or subsequent standards that the department determines to be applicable.

(5) The jurisdiction provides annual refresher training to all operators at intervals not to exceed 12 months. The training shall address or provide, at a minimum, the results of department’s inspections, information on new procedures or equipment, accidents or errors that have been observed and steps to prevent recurrence, and an opportunity for individuals to ask radiation safety related questions.

(b) The radiation surveys and radiation survey instruments referenced in subdivisions (f), (g), and (i) of Section 30336.1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations shall not be required when the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation standard operating procedure of clearing an evacuation distance of at least 300 feet in all directions from the X-ray source is used.

(c) Boundaries need not be posted or protected as high radiation areas as required in subdivisions (h), (j), and (l) of Section 30336.1 of Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations when other law enforcement officers are maintaining the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation standard evacuation boundary.

(d) The department shall evaluate compliance with this section during its inspection of the bomb squad.

(e) The department may revoke or rescind the exemption provided pursuant to this section if a jurisdiction fails to comply with this section.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 128, Sec. 1. (AB 911) Effective January 1, 2018.)