RSO / Physicist's Notes · Source Return Service

Two columns of paperwork between declaration and inventory closure.

End-of-life source return runs on a documented ownership split — the RSO signs site-side paperwork, Saxsons supplies the transport-and-disposal-side paperwork. This post draws the split, walks the five-step sequencing from declaration to inventory closure, and lists the five case types the service covers.

Ownership split

Who signs what across the return cycle

RSO / facility signs

Decommissioning notification to AERB regional office (intent to remove source from in-service inventory)
Source decay-store entry log — date, source ID, decay-corrected activity at storage entry
Source release-from-decay-store record — date, decay-corrected activity at release
Acceptance of pickup at the facility, with signed chain-of-custody handover
Update to the facility AERB licence inventory after receipt of disposal certificate

Saxsons supplies

Decommissioning paperwork template aligned to AERB Rules 2004 expectations
AERB transport documentation — shipping manifest, source identification, activity-on-collection
Chain-of-custody log for the transport leg, signed at each handover
AERB-licensed transport partner coordination across the India logistics network
Final disposal certificate from the licensed disposal route — copy to the facility for licence-inventory update

Source: AERB Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules 2004; AERB Safety Code for Nuclear Medicine Facility.

Five-step sequencing

From declaration to inventory closure

1
Trigger event: source declared end-of-useful-life by the physicist / RSO (typical: Co-57 flood ~12 months from calibration; Ge-68 line ~24–36 months; QA reference set on schedule).
2
Notify Saxsons. Saxsons opens the return ticket against the original supply record and supplies the decommissioning paperwork template.
3
Source enters in-house decay store under standard AERB-compliant storage. Decay-store duration is per-isotope (Co-57 ~12 months further decay below transport threshold; Cs-137 / Co-60 returned at end-of-useful-life, not after full decay).
4
Saxsons confirms pickup window. The facility signs the chain-of-custody at handover; the transport partner takes responsibility from there.
5
Disposal certificate arrives at the facility within the agreed turn-around window. The RSO updates the AERB facility-licence inventory; the line on the inventory closes.

Five case types

What the service covers and what escalates

Case	Condition	Action	Escalation
Routine end-of-life	Source has decayed below useful activity	Standard schedule — decay-store + pickup	None
Annual replacement	Co-57 flood source replaced at annual cadence	Old source enters decay store on day of new-source arrival	None
Equipment retirement	PET scanner replaced; Ge-68 line source not compatible with new system	Schedule return ahead of new-scanner commissioning	Coordinate with equipment vendor on timeline
Department closure	NM department restructured or relocated	Full inventory clear-out; Saxsons handles multiple sources in one return cycle	Project-managed; longer-than-normal documentation lead time
Clinical incident	Wipe-test failure, suspected damage, regulatory action	Controlled collection; immediate AERB notification chain	Saxsons supplies incident-grade chain-of-custody documentation

Source: AERB Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules 2004 — sealed-source inventory, transport and incident-reporting expectations.