Radiation Protection Plans and the Regulations

1
Radiation Protection Plans and the Regulations
Module 3 - Radiation Protection at Southeast
2
NRC License Conditions

• Obey all regulations related to RAM use.
• Required Training of RAM Users
• Inventory Control
• Posting of RAM Use and Storage Areas
• Posting of Exposure limits and Surface
  contamination limits
• Radiological Monitoring
• Personnel Exposure monitoring

3
Where are the Regulations?

• Code of Federal Regulations
• Title 10
• Chapter 1 NRC
• Chapters 2, 3, 10 - DOE
• Chapter 17 Nuclear Defense Facilities
• Regulatory Guides
• Provide Guidance on implementation of the
  regulations
• NUREGs
• Reports, brochures, etc

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10 CFR

• PART 19--NOTICES, INSTRUCTIONS AND REPORTS TO
  WORKERS INSPECTION AND INVESTIGATIONS
• PART 20--STANDARDS FOR PROTECTION AGAINST
  RADIATION
• PART 21--REPORTING OF DEFECTS AND NONCOMPLIANCE
• PART 30 to 40--Licensing

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What does a regulation look like?

• 10 CFR 19.13
• (a) Radiation exposure data for an individual,
  and the results of any measurements, analyses,
  and calculations of radioactive material
  deposited or retained in the body of an
  individual, shall be reported to the individual
  as specified in this section. The information
  reported shall include data and results obtained
  pursuant to Commission regulations, orders or
  license conditions, as shown in records
  maintained by the licensee pursuant to Commission
  regulations. Each notification and report shall
  be in writing include appropriate identifying
  data such as the name of the licensee, the name
  of the individual, the individual's social
  security number include the individual's
  exposure information and contain the following
  statement
• This report is furnished to you under the
  provisions of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  regulation 10 CFR part 19. You should preserve
  this report for further reference.
• (b) Each licensee shall advise each worker
  annually of the worker's dose as shown in records
  maintained by the licensee pursuant to the
  provisions of 20.2106 of 10 CFR part 20.
• (c)(1) At the request of a worker formerly
  engaged in licensed activities controlled by the
  licensee, each licensee shall furnish to the
  worker a report of the worker's exposure to
  radiation and/or to radioactive material
• (i) As shown in records maintained by the
  licensee pursuant to 20.2106 for each year the
  worker was required to be monitored under the
  provisions of 20.1502 and

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What does a license look like?
List of radionuclides that can be possessed.
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NRC license
Authorized uses Note A-E references required
Radiation Protection Plan Authorized
users Specific types of training and experience
required to be an AU Conditions Some of this is
boilerplate, other is specific to individual
licenses.
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Radiation Protection Plan
Plan structure and components vary from
institution to institution based on the scope of
the license, but all would have this basic set of
components. Plans contain specific procedures.
Since they are tied to the license, not following
the procedure can be considered a violation of
the licence conditions.

• RP02-Alara
• RP03-Exposure limits
• RP04-Training
• RP05-PPE
• RP10-Decontamination
• RP11-Monitoring
• RP21-Radiation Work Permits
• RP22-Reporting
• RP23-Source Control
• RP24-Exposure Controls
• RP25-Aquisition/storage/disposal
• RP30-Instrumentation
• RP40-Personnel Exposure Monitoring

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Southeast Radiation Safety Organizational Chart
Radiation Safety Committee
Radiation Safety Officer
Authorized User
Authorized User
Authorized User
Rad Worker
Rad Worker
Rad Worker
Rad Worker
Rad Worker
10
ALARA Program

• Feedback to the RSO or Authorized user.
• Anonymous suggestions welcome through the
  suggestion box.
• Pre-experiment review of procedures require.d
• Post-experiment review, with ALARA in mind.
• ALARA Program suggests exposure limits that are
  10 of the regulatory limits!

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All persons have responsibilities

• Understand the scope of your work, and the
  procedures required. These are in the Radiation
  Work Permit.
• Follow all procedures and ALARA conditions.
• Stop your work and work of others if you see
  unsafe practices, or practices not following
  procedure.

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Radiation Work Permit

• Authorizes any work to be done with radioactive
  materials
• Specifies
• oversight
• PPE
• Dosimetry
• Respiratory protection
• Safety equipment
• Alara

• Coversheet for all procedures
• Requires Pre-job briefing
• Requires sign-in/out for doing job.
• Provides means for ALARA review.

13
Required PPE

• Gloves
• Labcoat
• Dosimeters
• Safety glasses

Appropriate PPE, shielding, and monitoring
Inappropriate PPE!
14
Check your gloves routinely
Check your PPE before removing it.
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Radiological Exposure Control

• RP-24 Specifies Procedures for minimizing
  exposure to workers and general public...
• These are the ones discussed in module 2.

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Exposure monitoring

• External
• Film Badges
• Rings

• Internal
• Bioassays

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What Do I Do if I Spill Something?

• Contain the spill - Try very hard not to do
  something that will cause the spill to spread
  further.
• Blot up excess liquid with paper towels.
• Mark the area with a marker or with tape to
  prevent anyone from working in the area.
• Call an authorized user, or the RSO.
• Do not attempt cleanup and survey yourself.

18
What Do I do if I Spill Something ON ME!!?

• Remove contaminated clothing...
• It will have to be discarded, held for 10
  halflives, or have the contaminated area cut
  out....
• Replacement clothing in lab
• Clothing will be surveyed.
• If spill is on skin of extremities
• Survey to determine level of contamination
• Attempt to remove contamination with tape.
• If this fails use a moistened paper towel. Be
  sure skin is dry before re-surveying.
• Call the RSO. There are very specific
  procedures we follow if these two attempts dont
  work.
• If the contamination is to the face or hair, call
  the RSO immediately.

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What Do I do if I Spill Something ON ME!!?

• If you are seriously injured...
• Medical attention comes first, then
  decontamination.
• Be sure you notify the medical attendees.
• Have them call the RSO.

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Radiation Surveys

• Measurements of radiation fields or contamination
  to evaluate the radiation hazard
• Contamination is any radioactive material that is
  in any location where it is not desired
• Surveys are conducted for working areas and areas
  surrounding a facility.

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Radiation Surveys

• Must demonstrate compliance with occupational and
  public dose limits
• Required for any facility or room where radiation
  level is higher than background for the
  particular type of emission

Frequency

• Restricted areas at least monthly
• Permanent storage areas not gt 12 months
• Frequency should increase if probability of
  personnel exposure increases (change in
  conditions or procedures
• Accidents, highly variable or unpredictable
  conditions daily or continuous

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Routine Surveys

• Before a procedure is begun
• Upon completion of a procedure
• After decontamination
• Upon termination of a project

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Surface contamination Limits
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What do you survey?

• Before procedures work areas, equipment
• After procedures Gloves, Clothes, work area,
  equipment.
• If contamination found, decontaminate and
  re-survey.

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Survey Instruments

• Exposure Meters
• Radiation intensity (fluence rate, exposure rate,
  absorbed dose rate or dose equivalent rate)

• Counters
• Radioactive events (cpm, dpm, ?Ci/m2, etc.)

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Record Keeping

• All radioactive material received must be logged
  by the RSO and Authorized user
• All withdrawals from source containers must be
  logged, with amount, user, date, and use
  indicated.
• Final disposition of all material removed from
  source container must be made
• on blot, in probe, in products of labeling
  reaction, as solid disposable waste, as liquid
  waste, in sink, etc.

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Waste Handling

• Governed by RWP
• Segregate Radionuclides
• Segregate dry and liquid waste
• Label everything.
• DATE
• Radionuclide
• Quantity (estimate uCi)
• Record disposition in Log Book.

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Waste Handling

• Half-life less than 90 days (P32, S35)
• Solid Hold for minimum of 10 half-lives and
  then deface all rad indications and put in
  regular trash.
• Liquid Hold for 10 half-lives and dispose of in
  rad sink.

• Half-life more than 90 days. (H3, C14)
• Solid Hold in approved waste container for
  disposal by RSO.
• Liquid Hold in approved waste container for
  disposal by RSO.

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Waste Handling

• Accumulated waste must be properly shielded and
  held in leak-proof containers
• Accumulated waste must not exceed certain percent
  of license total (established by RSO on basis of
  use).

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Can it go in the sink?

• Prior approval of RSO required. This may be
  indicated in the specific procedure you use.
• Limits exist on sink disposal. These vary with
  the radionuclide.
• P32 Washes can go in sink, be sure to record the
  amount. These have been estimated for each
  procedure and are posted.