Edition 6 early August, 1997

IDNS Inspects Radiation Safety Program

Inspectors from the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety inspected the radiation safety program on both campuses on July 23, 24, and 25. Within the context of a generally good report with no significant health and safety violations, the inspectors issued a number of citations and made several recommendations for improving safety.

1. Provide annual refresher training for all radiation workers; it is the authorized investigator's responsibility. It does not have to be elaborate or time-consuming; you could do it in the context of laboratory meetings. If you distribute the NUtrino newsletters and a sign-off list, that could provide documentation. Or, check out the ORS video once a year for your students and employees. However you do it, document it with names, dates and topics presented!
   
2. Label your refrigerators and freezers if they contain radioactive material. The 4 x 6 "Caution, Radioactive Materials" stickers--same as on your laboratory door--are best. Labels are required; contact ORS for them.
   
3. Label all vessels containing radioactive materials, including those in refrigerators and freezers. Write the radionuclide, activity and date on the label.
   
4. Put a 4 x 6-inch "Caution, Radioactive Material" sticker on each door that allows entrance to a lab, including doors opening from an adjacent office into the lab. Ask ORS for the sticker.
   
5. If you have a liquid scintillation counter with an external standard (such as a Cs-137 source), record the radionuclide, activity, date and serial number. These are "generally licensed devices" for which ORS must maintain an inventory. (note: This does not refer to H-3 or C-14 quenched standard sets, but to sources built into the machine). ORS checks the Chicago inventory each September, and the Evanston inventory each July.
   
6. Designate your radiation work areas and confine work, tools, and containers to them. In one laboratory, the inspectors observed a labeled flask on a bench outside of the designated work area and issued a citation. Don't set anything down on a bench outside of the work area unless you are using a secondary container or tray.
   
7. We raised the issue of proper lab attire in the June issue of NUtrino. Staff and students were observed wearing shorts and sandals in virtually every laboratory; in one lab, the inspectors pulled all lab personnel together for a little lecture. Chemical spills with personnel contamination and injury can and do happen!
   
8. Fume hood effectiveness may be influenced by local air currents, even small ones. The inspectors noted that open doors and cooling fans in laboratories disrupt the airflow around fume hoods and degrade their performance. This was noted in particular in the Tarry building, where hoods may be within a few feet of doors. Keep laboratory doors closed, and turn cooling fans off when using the hood to protect against the escape of fumes or vapors.

The Radiation Safety Web Page is found at http://www.northwestern.edu/research-safety. At the University's home page click on "Research," then "Research Offices and Services," then "Office for Research Safety."