Refresher Training

Radioactive Materials Refresher Training

Why have refresher training?

The annual refresher training is designed to reinforce important safety information, provide any new information, and to cover areas that have presented problems in laboratories over the past year.

Notice to Employees

In each laboratory authorized for radioactive materials use, you will find a Notice to Employees  (RHF-3) posted.
This form gives the contact information for the Washington state Department of Health, the agency that regulates the use of Radioactive Materials in Washington State.

It also lists some of your and some of the employer’s responsibilities.

Good Laboratory Practices

  • Remember Time, Distance, Shielding
  • Wear Protective Clothing: gloves, lab coat, long pants, full toed shoes
  • Designate areas for RAM work
  • Cover work areas with absorbent paper, absorbent side up
  • Use a hood if possible
  • Avoid skin contact with contaminated gloves
  • Survey: your gloves, hands, coat, shoes, and your work area
  • Always wash your hands (even if you wore gloves) after the experiment, as well as before leaving the work area, picking up the phone, etc.

Controlling External Hazards

TIME: Radiation dose is proportional to the
duration of the exposure.

DISTANCE: Radiation dose is proportional to 1/(Distance)2.

SHIELDING: Radiation dose is determined by
the type and thickness of shielding materials used.

Remember: Correct selection of Shielding Materials are a function of the type and energy of radiation you are trying to shield!

Protective Clothing

  • Can be a very effective means of preventing skin, eyes, and clothing from becoming contaminated
  • Always wear Gloves (you may want to consider double gloving)
  • Always wear your Lab Coat
  • Eyewear to prevent splashes and provide shielding for high energy beta emitters
  • Closed toe footwear and long pants are required
  • It is much easier to remove contaminated clothing than to decontaminate your skin!

Contamination Control

The major hazard for most radioactive materials on the WSU campus comes from internalizing the radioactive material.

Once the radioactive materials are inside your body, you lose all the protections from TIME, DISTANCE AND SHIELDING.

Contamination Control is the key to preventing internalization of radioactive materials.

  • Watch out where you put your “hot” hands during an experiment
  • Monitor yourself and your work area frequently for radioactivity (gloves, hands, feet, etc.)
  • Use the most sensitive scale on meter (X0.1 or X1) and have the sound on
  • Have meter out and handy
  • Make sure to wash your hands frequently and after finishing an experiment- Don’t bring radioactive material to lunch or to your home!
  • Monitor your work area before and after an experiment

Surveys

The area shall be surveyed after each use of radioactive material using an appropriate survey meter (not required to be documented).

If you were using, H-3, C-14, or S-35 -all areas of experimental use shall be wipe tested to determine if contamination is present (not required to be documented).

Documented surveys (meter and wipe test) must be completed on either a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis depending upon the isotope and frequency of use- RSO will assign you a frequency.

Radiation Safety Instrumentation

Before an instrument is used for a radiation safety survey. It must be determined that the instrument is functioning properly and that it is calibrated. This includes both radiation survey meters and LSCs. By using the quality assurance notebooks associated with the instrument. You can determine if the instrument is functioning properly and calibrated.

Before You Use Survey Meters

  • Check for Calibration Sticker
  • Check battery
  • Check background radiation
  • Check meter response to a known radiation source
  • Record the check source results and background readings in the meter notebook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Survey Meter Quality Assurance Notebook

Every survey meter should have a “Survey Meter Quality Assurance Notebook”

Be sure the cover page of your note book is filled in properly!

 

Fill in probe model number and serial number

 

Fill in Meter storage location

 

Fill in Authorized User or Equipment Coordinator’s name and contact phone number and the same for an alternate contact

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Response Check Source page in the notebook

 

 

Place the meter probe over the check source to get the check source reading

Record this reading on the next page of the notebook

Compare this reading to the expected response rate on next page of the notebook (this should have been filled in by the Radiation Safety Office)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Survey Meter Pre-Use QA Verification Log

Be sure the following information has been filled in on this page:

Meter and serial number

Probe and serial number

The expected response to check source should have been filled in by the Radiation Safety Office

Record the date and your name

Verify the calibration status of the meter

Record the background reading and the response check reading

 

 

The meter is now ready to be used for the radiation safety survey!

LSC Quality Assurance Notebook

 

 

 

Each LSC will have a Quality Assurance Notebook

 

Be sure to fill in the cover of the notebook

Designate a supervisory authorized user or equipment coordinator, plus an alternate and their contact information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the data page inside the notebook

Record the Manufacturer and Model of the LSC and the Serial Number

 

Record the date and your name

Check the calibration status of the LSC. This information is in the back of the notebook. The LSC must have been calibrated within the past 12 months.

Check to see when the last SNC or IPA was run. This is a self check of the LSC. It is done by counting the unquenched standards that came with the LSC. The printout should be in the back of the notebook. It must have been done within the past 7 days.

Enter the number of the program you are using to count your swipes.

 

 

 

You are now ready to start counting your swipes!

Laboratory Survey Form

Fill in location. Building and room number.

All meter readings are at background levels.

Record the date and time of the survey.

Record meter background radiation reading.

Record meter used.

Record meter serial number.

Record LSC serial number.

Record all the swipe results.

 

 

Record your meter survey results.

Survey all locations and areas with the potential to be radioactively contaminated, including hands and shoes.

Also any areas where your meter survey showed contamination.

Record these locations on your map.

 

 

Swipe areas where radioactive materials were used and areas that may have become contaminated.
Number the swipe spot on your map.

Record swipe location.

Record the swipe number.

Record your background counts.

Record swipe counts.

 

 

 

Run the swipes in your LSC and record the results.

 

 

 

This lab survey form is available at http://www.rso.wsu.edu/user radiation survey form.pdf

Security and control

WAC 246-221-150: Security and control of radioactive material and radiation machines

Licensed radioactive materials and registered radiation machines shall be secured from, or controlled in such a manner so as to prevent, unauthorized access or removal from the place of storage.     Licensed radioactive materials in an unrestricted area and not in storage shall be tended under the constant surveillance and immediate control of the licensee.

The authorized user must Maintain security of radioactive materials or radiation machines under his or her control or possession.

Radioactive materials must be secured.
Either by locking the lab door when
the lab is unattended or by placing the
radioactive materials in a lock box or in
a locking freezer or refrigerator.

DO NOT LEAVE RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS UNATTENDED.

Radioactive Materials Inventory Control

WAC 246-220-020: Records
(1) Each licensee or registrant shall maintain records relating to the receipt, use, storage, transfer, or disposal of radiation sources

In other words, you must maintain an accurate and up to date inventory of your radioactive materials!

Radioactive Materials Use Log

 

 

 

Update this record each time a withdrawal is made from the vial. Until the vial is depleted.

Enter Authorized user and location.

 

After the waste for this entry is picked up. Enter the waste pick up date.

Enter any comments you would like.

Enter your initials.

Enter the activity remaining in the vial. The original amount minus the amount removed.

Enter the activity removed from the vial.

Enter the date the extraction was done.

Each time someone extracts from the vial. They should make an entry on the form.

Enter the date received and initials of the person receiving the vial.

Enter the activity date.

Enter the activity of the vial.

Enter chemical form.

Enter Isotope.

Enter vendor name.

Enter stock vial ID, if you use one. Otherwise use the activity date.

 

You must keep an accurate inventory of your radioactive materials. A use log such as this can help you keep track of your inventory.

 

To calculate for waste disposal: Volume used x initial specific activity x decay fraction.

 

 

 

Waste Program

You must fill out the waste receipt form completely and correctly, before your waste will be picked up. Be sure to report the isotope and activity from your use log.

Filling out the Waste Receipt Form

Mark the size of your waste container.

Enter the chemical makeup, with percentages, of the waste. The percentages should equal 100%.

For liquid waste, enter the pH of the liquid.

Enter the amount of activity that is in the waste

Enter the nuclide that is in the waste.

Circle your waste type. Definitions of the abbreviations can be found on the back of the waste form.

Fill in your location.

Fill in your department.

Fill in the date.

Fill in the Authorized users name.

 

 

 

The Back of the Waste Receipt Form

Waste Pickups

When you are ready to have your waste picked up, waste pick up form filled out and the outside of container checked for contamination, fill out a waste pick up request at our web site.

 

http://www.rso.wsu.edu/radwastepickup.htm

More Resources

More information is available at our web site. http://www.rso.wsu.edu/

And please feel free to review any of the training modules @ http://www.rso.wsu.edu/training/training.html any time.

Test Time!

  • Follow this link to the test. https://myresearch.wsu.edu
  • Use your WSU user name and password to sign in.
  • Click on the training tab.
  • Then click on the available training tab
  • Find the radiation refresher course, in the OR section, click on it and take the test.