Number 44 September, 2001

Countdown to Inspection

Sometime within the next 90 days inspectors from the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety will arrive on campus and do random visits of radiation laboratories, looking for compliance with regulations and license conditions and evaluating basic radiation safety practices. They will interview radiation workers, review records, and survey the laboratory. Prepare now and you can entertain the inspectors with confidence.

Review the self-audit checklist provided in NUtrino 40 (May, 2001). You can print a copy from our Web page.

Perform an accountability review for each radioactive product in the laboratory. Make sure that you have an inventory form for each stock vial, and that usage information is recorded. We can replace missing forms.

Consolidate your documentation of annual refresher training for all radiation workers. That is what the NUtrino newsletters are for; issues 34 (October 2000) through 44 (May 2001) provide comprehensive, basic training suitable for all workers. If you have not provided, documented, or arranged for annual refresher training, do it now.

Survey your laboratory carefully for contamination, and clean up any you find. Look in trash cans, too! IDNS inspectors will do their own surveys, and they are experts. Make sure your survey meter is in good repair, has fresh batteries, and is calibrated.

Make sure you have labels on all waste containers, storage locations (refrigerators, freezers, cabinets, shelves), stock materials, incubators, and containers holding materials in process. Label your designated radiation work area.

Relocating and Discarding Appliances

From time to time we see old refrigerators and freezers bearing "caution, radioactive materials" stickers sitting in hallways while awaiting disposal or transport to a new laboratory. We would like to remind you that any appliance that is potentially contaminated must be surveyed and released by ORS before it is junked or given to another investigator. We usually can complete the survey within a day, so give us a call.