NUtrino - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -
- - -°n
News and training for radiation workers at
Procurement
of Radioactive Materials: Know Limits, Rules
In the October issue we related the
results of the IEMA inspection. The inspection has caused us to do a bit more
root cause analysis of a control issue that was identified but did not reach
the level of a citation. ORS recently prevented the delivery to a lab of a
package that a courier delivered to us. Someone in the lab had ordered it even
though they were not authorized to possess the activity. As the IEMA inspectors
pointed out, preventing delivery doesn't mean that the control system works.
How was the lab able to place the order?
No control system is foolproof
unless it is so restrictive as to be unworkable. What ORS attempts to do is to
craft and manage the control program so it satisfies security, safety, and
compliance needs without overly inconveniencing investigators. It works as long
as everyone plays by the rules. Success boils down to the quality of radiation
worker training and investigator oversight.
With respect to ordering
radioactive materials, here are the basic rules:
·
Know your
limits; if you're not approved for it, don't order it.
·
Never order
a radionuclide for another investigator without clearing it with ORS.
·
Blanket
orders are OK only for radionuclides,
chemical forms, and quantities of activity for which you are approved.
Telephone or electronic orders must follow the same rules.
·
Enter the
proper shipping address for each order; all packages must be delivered to ORS.
Make sure everyone in your lab and
your department office knows the rules for procuring radioactive materials
and follows them. Every radiation worker has it and is expected to read it.
Accountability
Investigators must be able to
account for all radioactive materials in storage, use, and waste. It is
important to correlate your inventory forms with your stock vials. There is a
simple way to do it.
1.
Use a
marker pen to write the control number on the outer shipping container.
2.
Do a
periodic inventory; you must have an inventory form for each stock vial.
3.
Return your
inventory form to ORS as soon as the material has been used or consigned to
waste. Do not let old forms accumulate.
Use this NUtrino as a training tool for new workers and required
annual refresher training for current workers. Circulate it among the radiation
workers in your group and have them sign and date the training form on the
back. File it with your authorization and other radiation safety documents for
review during regulatory inspections. Discuss it during laboratory meetings. We
have back issues, or you can print them off the web at
http://www.northwestern.edu/research-safety/rad/nutrino/index.htm.
Office for Research Safety -
Office for Research - Radiation Safety Committee
Ward B-106 Chicago Campus, phone 3-8300 Tech NG71
Evanston Campus, phone 1-5581