MR Safety

MR Safety Week 2025

21-25 July 2025

MR Safety is important all year round but during this week we support people working in MRI to keep themselves and their patients safe in the MRI room. 

Look out for new safety advice sheets for 2025 during this week. Anyone opted in to receive our regular mailings will get emails with the latest update during the week 21-25 July and they can be downloaded below. Register or log in here 

MR Safety Week 2025 banner


ADVICE SHEETS 2025

 Day 1 MR safety week - Magnetic Resonance Output ConditioningMagnetic Resonance Output Conditioning

A new safety feature called Magnetic Resonance Output Conditioning (MROC) will become mandatory on all new 1.5 T and 3 T MRI scanners under updated international standards. MROC helps ensure that MR scans involving patients with implanted devices follow safety rules automatically, reducing the chance of human error. It works alongside existing safety controls and shows the operator key limits during scanning.

 

 

 

 

Day 2 - MR Safety week sheet - 0.9 is the new 0.50.9 is the new 0.5

Pacemakers and similar implants can be affected by magnets, switching them into a special mode. To avoid this during MRI scans, one safety limit on magnetic field strength was set at 0.5 millitesla. Recently, this limit was raised to 0.9 millitesla to better match the 1.0 millitesla level that manufacturers already use.

 

 

 

 

Day 3 - MR Safety - GISPsGISPs

Where patients have implanted devices, it can be difficult to obtain the complete device details, including MR conditions. However, experience has shown that certain categories of device present a low risk for MRI. Generic implant safety procedures (GISPs) are locally developed, evidence-based, risk-assessed procedures which can facilitate scanning for patients with devices falling into a suitable category.

  

 

 

Day 4 - MR safety week 2025 - National Taxonomy and incident reportingNational Taxonomy and incident reporting 

The value of incident and near miss reporting and the associated learning is well appreciated in the MRI community. The new national incident learning system for clinical imaging, MRI and nuclear medicine has been designed to support national trend analysis of incidents and near misses, which will help direct future learning and inform risk assessments. Following on from last year’s introduction to the national coding taxonomy, the national incident learning system for clinical imaging, MRI and nuclear medicine is now accepting incident and near miss data from clinical providers. This MRI safety advice sheet details how departments can participate.

 

 

Day 5 - MR safety week - Fire finalFire Risk Assessment

The MRI department fire risk-assessment published by BIR has been recently revised. Two changes have been made to clarify the applicable regulations. It no longer recommends the use of firestopping between the examination and technical rooms, as this should be managed by compartmentalisation; and it clarifies methods to protect the quench system control cables. Read the full advice sheet here.

 

 

 

 

MR Safety week content from our partners:

The British Association of MRI Radiographers has produced daily resources on the topic of ‘Alarms and Emergency scenarios’ - read more here on their website.

The International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) is hosting virtual sessions daily for MR Safety Week. More information on registration and the sessions can be found on their website.

 

ADVICE SHEETS 2024

Day 1 The new national incident learning system in clinical imaging, MRI and nuclear medicine                      Day 2 Gadolinium                

The new national incident                      Gadolinium                                     

learning system in clinical

imaging, MRI and nuclear medicine

 

 Day 3 Low SAR                      Day 4 Noise

Low SAR                                                 Acoustic noise

 

ADVICE SHEETS 2023

MR Advice sheet 1 Managing interoperative interventional and MRI services                      MR Advice Sheet 2 Safety steps in an anaesthesia service in the MRI suite 1                  MR Advice Sheet 3 Generic Implant Safety Procedures in MRI
Managing interoperative                        Safety steps in an anaesthesia            Generic Implant Safety

interventional and MRI services             service in the MRI suite                       Procedures in MRI

 

MR Advice Sheet 4_ Update on MR Standards                       Advice sheet 5_Interpreting MR Conditional Labelling

Update on MR Standards                         Interpreting MR Conditional Labelling

 

2022

In 2022 we produced a series of podcasts and advice sheets to assist the imaging community with safety issues in the MR room. 

ADVICE SHEETS 2022

MR Safety advice sheet 2_2022

New educational resources for MR Safety Advice sheet

 

 MR Safety advice sheet 1_2022

IEC Standard 4th edition advice sheet

 

PODCASTS

The IPEM Magnetic Resonance Safety Expert (MRSE) certificate of competence

Mark Radon and Dan Wilson

Dr Mark Radon talks to Dan Wilson about the IPEM Magnetic Resonance Safety Expert (MRSE) certificate of competence, how and why ABMRS are involved, why it was set up and how you can go about getting this useful certification. 

LISTEN HERE

 

The Radiographic Role

Mark Radon&Alex Lipton

Dr Mark Radon, Consultant Radiologist talks to Alexandra Lipton, Professional Officer at the Society and College of Radiographers about the important role of the radiographer in the patient journey through an MRI scan. They explore the different responsibilities of those involved and how the radiographer works with other professions in the process to ensure the safety and comfort of the patient at all times. Alexandra explains how radiographers cope with the challenges of managing patients with implants or claustrophobia and suggests what aids could support radiographers to make the process smoother.

LISTEN HERE


Cardiac Devices advice

Dr Mark Radon, Dr Charlotte Manisty & Dr Jonathan Ashmore

In advance of the publication of the new cardiac devices guidance, Dr Mark Radon chats to Dr Charlotte Manisty, Consultant Cardiologist at University College London and Dr Jonathan Ashmore, Clinical Scientist at NHS Highland about the issues around scanning patients with cardiac pacemakers. With half a million people fitted with devices only just over half of hospitals are able to scan these patients. In this podcast you will learn who the guidance is for, gain an understanding of the difference between “MR conditional” and “MR unlabelled” and explore how the professions can work together to provide this service. 

LISTEN HERE

 

MR Safety Week 2021

In 2021 we are raising awareness by focusing on highlighting aspects of the terminology behind MR safety. This includes revisiting the terms, and the recent change of the addition of a new “MR unlabelled” term.

Our three new safety advice sheets will be published each day on this page during the week from Monday 26 July 2021.

Please share with your teams, print off and use to discuss MR safety in your setting. Help to keep your patients, yourselves and your equipment safe throughout the year.

Day 1 Terminology               Day 2 MR Unlabelled

Advice sheet 1: Terminology          Advice sheet 2: MR Unlabelled             

 

Day 3 Myths and Maths comp

Advice sheet 3: Myths and Maths

 

 

MR Safety Week 2020

In 2020 we focussed on the learning that can be gained from real-life incidents, what went wrong and how processes were subsequently improved. 

Please share with your teams, print off and use to discuss MR safety in your setting. Help to keep your patients, yourselves and your equipment safe throughout the year.

D1 - Anaes - Final_R                       D2 - trolley - Final_R                   

Day 1 Anaesthesia and Sedation             Day 2: MR Unsafe Equipment

  D3 - Linac - Final_R                      D4 - Stimulators - Final_R

Day 3 Safety in the MR Linear                 Day 4: Neuromodulation

Accelerator department     

 

Each day during MR safety week in 2019 we issued safety advice sheets. You may download the advice sheets below. 

MR Safety Week Day 1             MR Safety Week Day 2             MR Safety Week Day 3

Day 1: Active Implants                  Day 2: Cardiac Pacemakers           Day 3: Cochlear Implants  

 

MR Safety Week Day 4            MR Safety Week Day 5

Day 4: Neuro-Stimulators             Day 5: Deep-Brain Stimulators                

 

MR Safety week 2018

In MR Safety week 2018 the BIR MR SIG published a series of short advice sheets that briefly describe commonly encountered MR Conditions, why they are important and where to find some further information. 

 MR safety week 3

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MR Safety podcast 2017

Alan Bainbridge on MR Safety

MRI safety is vital all year round, but MRI Safety Week is a chance to raise awareness of safety issues and check that correct procedures are in place. In this podcast, Alan Bainbridge talks through recent advances in MRI safety, ways to minimise risk and, importantly, what radiologists, radiographers and physicists should be focusing on in MRI Safety week.

Dr Alan Bainbridge is Chair of the BIR MRI Safety Working party and is Head of MRI Physics at University College Hospital. He has a special interest in neonatal MRI and spectroscopy.