Edition 12, June, 1998

Prepare to Meet Thy Regulator

We expect inspectors from the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety to arrive on campus soon. While here, they will make unannounced visits to up to 10% of radiation laboratories, where they will perform surveys, examine records, and conduct on-the-spot interviews with radiation workers and PIs. You should be prepared! They will be, because they will have looked at your authorization file, inventory forms and other records before coming to your lab. Are you prepared to be interviewed by IDNS inspectors?

• What are you wearing in the lab? One of their first observations likely will be whether or not lab personnel are appropriately dressed. Shorts and sandals? No lab coat? No protective gloves? If so, expect a lecture.

• Is everything properly labeled? If you have rad material in a refrigerator or freezer, there must be a "caution, radioactive materials" sticker on the door. The container itself must have a label identifying the contents as radioactive, and it should be appropriately shielded (last year, an inspector detected bremsstrahlung radiation through an unlabeled freezer door from an inadequately shielded P-32 vial inside; result: a citation).

• Are your work areas clearly defined and are radioactive materials confined to them? You can define your work area any way you like, so long as it is clearly identified (e.g., with labels, signs). Avoid "parking" rad material, contaminated tools or vessels, or wastes outside of the work area. Keep lab notebooks, pens and unneeded items out of the work area. Last year, a labeled beaker sitting on an unmarked lab bench was cited.

• Can you correlate your inventory forms with your materials on-hand? Perform this exercise. Inspectors may do a physical inventory of your stock vials and then ask to see the inventory form for each item. They will read the entries and may cross-check them against bioassay, worker registration, or other records.

• Would the inspector find contamination if your lab was surveyed today? Better to survey the area each day that radioactive material is used and clean up contamination at once!

• Do you have a written log for each of your waste containers? Is each waste container labeled with the identity of the radionuclide, and does it have tape or stickers identifying the contents as radioactive?

• Is the required list of current radiation workers posted in your laboratory? If you were issued a dosimeter, are you wearing it when you work with radioactive material?

• Have you had regular (at least annual) refresher training in radiation safety? It’s required by the University’s license, and investigators must ensure that it is provided. NUtrino makes it easy! Follow these instructions: