Are X-Ray Machine Safety Protocols Putting Your Operations At Risk?

In the food industry today, companies depend on X-ray machines to detect the presence of harmful metal or contaminants in food products. If a hazardous material or metal is detected, the product is immediately removed from the line. This type of prevention is critical to the safety of consumers. Any mishap during this inspection process could be detrimental to not just their health, but also the reputation and business of the food production company.

While X-ray machines are effective for detecting contaminants, there have been concerns about the risk of radiation exposure to not just the food, but also the operators. According to the FDA, there are no known adverse effects from eating food or using any product that has been inspected by a cabinet X-ray system. Typical doses of radiation received by products scanned by a cabinet X-ray system are far too low to pose any risk. The risk to operators is also extremely low, if not nonexistent, so long as the machines are operated and maintained properly. Countries around the world have regulatory standards in place to protect operators from potential exposure to radiation emitted from X-ray machines. This is based on the operator’s distance away from the source, the amount of time near it, and the quantity of X-rays radiated. X-ray system suppliers adhere to required protocols to ensure machines comply with these standards. Manufacturers then utilize many aspects of the system design to protect the operator, including interlocks, curtains, anti-reach-in features, and safety features in the software. Operator distance and time are operational factors that food producers can control by determining proximity to the machine and shift lengths. As long as the machines are maintained, the operators will be protected.