Radiation Safety Course Work Procedures

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Radiation Safety CourseWork Procedures

• Heath de la Giroday
• Dispensing Chemist
• Radiation Safety Officer

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Work Procedures

• Daily monitoring
• Before and after work
• Periodic monitoring
• Weekly monitoring
• Paperwork
• Waste
• Contamination/Decontamination
• Hygiene

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Before and After WorkP-32

• Monitor work surfaces
• Use F setting to monitor surfaces quickly
• Hold survey meter 1 cm about surface (signal
  strength decreases with distance)
• Report contamination to your supervisor if you
  find contamination before starting work
• Clean contamination if you find it after work
• Surface contamination leads to internal
  exposurethe most damaging

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Weekly Wipe Tests (H-3, P-32)

• All active labs have to perform weekly wipe tests
• There are general locations identified in the
  wipe test binderfocus on areas that have high
  impact or heavy use
• Decontaminate as necessary

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Paperwork

• All regulated isotopes are tracked closely
• Inventory Binder
• Each source vial has a barcode and running total
  remaining
• Waste Binder
• Each waste container (bottle or bag) has a
  distinct number and each time source is removed
  from vial an entry must be made for the
  associated waste container (break down can be
  estimated)
• There is a lag between recording and disposal,
  which is accounted for during disposal

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Paperwork

• This information is used for the Annual
  Compliance Report to CNSC
• How much isotope was purchased
• How much is in possession
• How much decayed
• How much waste disposed to the environment
• How was it disposed to the environment

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Radioactive Waste Management

• It is essential that there is full and complete
  documentation for all radioactive waste
• All contaminated waste must be segregated from
  non-radioactive garbage
• Radioactive waste containers transferred to
  storage area when full

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Waste Disposal

• Short half-life isotopes are stored for decay
  (delay and decay)
• Chemical hazards are important (radioactivity is
  temporary)
• Separation of organic and aqueous/toxic aqueous
  streams is important

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Waste Disposal

• Long half-life isotopes might be disposed of
  through normal waste systems after collection or
  will be sent to waste handling company
• Depends on isotope and hazard to humans and
  environment
• Defined by CNSC through licensing process

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Radioactive Waste Management

• Liquids
• Never dispose of non-radioactive liquid in a
  radioactive liquid waste container, or vice versa
• Liquids are separated by radioisotope and further
  separated by solvent
• e.g. I-125 in H2O I-125 in CH3OH H-3 in H2O

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Radioactive Waste Management

• Never dispose of non-radioactive solids in a
  radioactive solids waste container, or vice versa
• Solid waste must be separated according to
  radioisotope

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Contamination and Injury

• Radioactive Spills
• Skin Contamination
• Internal Contamination
• Injury

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Radioactive Spills

• Notify other people in the area
• If uncertain of hazard, evacuate the area
• Monitor all personnel
• Remove any contaminated clothing
• If anybodys skin is contaminated, begin
  decontamination immediately
• For hazardous spill, cordon off the area to
  prevent inadvertent entry

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Hazaardous Radioactive Spills

• Call the emergency response number (3333)
• Radiation Safety Officer will be contacted by
  Security
• Assess the characteristics of the radioisotope to
  determine hazards and clean-up procedure
• volatility
• quantity
• type of emission
• Wear personal protective equipment

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Radioactive Spills

• Prevent spread of contamination
• turn off all equipment that could enhance spill
• use absorbent material to soak up bulk liquid
• place dampened paper towels over powder spills
• Monitor to identify locations of contamination
• mark contaminated sites with chalk
• Decontaminate using detergent solution
• place waste in disposal container
• monitor to verify effectiveness of decontamination

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Hazarouds Radioactive Spills

• Monitor all personnel involved in clean-up
• Update Radioisotope Data and Radioisotope
  Disposal forms
• RSO may conduct an incident investigation

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Radioactive Spill Surface Clean Up

• Collect the necessary cleaning items (paper
  towels, Radiac Wash, RadAway, bench pad, waste
  bag, etc.)
• Use bench pads to create a disposable temporary
  storage surface
• Move items out of contaminated area onto storage
  bench pad, monitoring for contamination

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Radioactive Spill Surface Clean Up

• Clean major surfaces in cycles until no counts
  are detected, monitoring between cleanings
• Work from outside to inside of contaminated area
  to avoid spreading contamination
• Switch wipes to avoid smearing contamination
  around and contaminating uncontaminated surfaces
• Place a waste receptacle nearby to avoid carrying
  contaminated wipes around
• Use a radioactive material hazard bag

Contaminated area
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Radioactive Spill Surface Clean Up

• Place contaminated paper towels directly in to
  waste bag located at work area, taking care not
  to contaminate outer surface of bag
• Change gloves if they might have become
  contaminated
• Clean surface in cycles until contamination is no
  longer detectable
• Perform wipe tests to determine if surface is
  completely clean

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Radioactive Spill Surface Clean Up

• Monitor and clean items and return them to the
  original work surface
• Place waste bag into another bag when finished
• Label waste bags and bottles clearly

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Radioactive Spill Surface Clean Up

• Embedded contamination-radioactive when measured
  with survey meter but not for wipe tests
• Mark edges of contaminated area with radioactive
  hazard tape
• Label with date and contact person
• Cover with shielding to prevent unnecessary dose

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Personal Contamination

• All incidents must be reported to the RSO
• Note Contamination incidents have resulted from
  not wearing gloves at all times in hot room and
  from puncturing gloves with a pipette tipwear
  gloves at all times and do not rush pipetting

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Skin Contamination

• Begin decontamination immediately
• Remove any contaminated clothing
• Rinse area with lukewarm water for several
  minutes
• attempt to keep rinse water, and therefore
  radioactivity, away from body and body openings
  (e.g. nose, mouth) to avoid internal
  contamination
• monitor periodically to determine effectiveness
  of rinsing

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Skin Contamination

• If contamination persists, wash with mild soap
• work lather into skin for three minutes
• stop immediately if skin reddening occurs
• rinse
• monitor area
• If contamination persists, repeat the mild soap
  wash
• work lather into skin for three minutes
• stop immediately if skin reddening occurs
• rinse
• monitor area

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Skin Contamination

• If contamination persists, clean the skin with
  cold cream or baby oil
• monitor area and note any residual radiation
  level
• If contamination persists, do nothing more
• contamination is bound to skin
• further abrasion could result in injuring or
  defatting of skin, perhaps leading to internal
  contamination
• Call the emergency response number (3333)
• Security will contact RSO
• Complete incident/accident report within 24 h

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Internal Contamination

• Call emergency response number (3333) immediately
• Do not attempt anything further without direction
  from a First Aid Attendant or RSO
• If ingested material is both chemically toxic and
  radiotoxic, chemical toxicity should be treated
  first
• Locate MSDS for instructions to treat chemical
  toxicity
• Locate RSDS for instructions to address
  radiological hazard

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Minor Injury

• Treat immediately at or near scene of accident
• At scene of accident to prevent spread of
  contamination
• Near scene of accident to limit spread of
  contamination while attempting to prevent further
  contamination to the patient and/or those
  providing assistance

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Minor Injury

• Rinse any wounds with lukewarm water
• Encourage bleeding to lessen internal
  contamination
• Attempt to keep rinse water away from body
  openings (e.g. nose, mouth) to lessen internal
  contamination
• Monitor area and note any residual contamination

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Minor Injury

• Wash wound with mild soap and rinse with lukewarm
  water
• Monitor area and note any residual contamination
• Apply first aid dressing
• Notify the persons supervisor and the RSO
• Complete an incident/accident report within 24 h
• If medical attention is required, a WCB Form 7
  will need to be completed within 24 h

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Major Injury

• Do not move the injured person unless they are in
  imminent danger of further injury
• Call the emergency number (ext. 3333) and
  describe
• Room number/phone number
• Names of injured and person calling
• Injuries
• Type and amount of radioactive material involved
• Physical and chemical forms of the radioisotope

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Major Injury

• Assist emergency response personnel with the
  radioactive contamination
• Attempt to prevent further contamination of the
  victim or contamination of the emergency
  personnel
• If necessary, shield contaminated body parts
  using any available material
• Notify persons supervisor and RSO
• An incident/accident report must be completed
  within 24 h
• A WCB Form 7 must be completed within 24 h

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Hygiene

• Wash hands after exiting hot room and before
  leaving laboratory
• Remove outer gloves before leaving hot room
• Monitor soles of shoes and sleeves of lab jacket
  at end of work