Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology Radiation Safety Policy

Transcription

1 Reviewed: BR date RKB date CIT date Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology Radiation Safety Policy Scope, Application and Purpose: The purpose of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology Radiation Safety Policy is to establish policies, procedures and protocols to protect employees, students and the public from potential health hazards associated with the handling, use and storage of radioactive materials in our laboratory. It will provide the information for the basic safety of handling these materials. Additionally, it will provide the required policies for the storage, use and disposal of radioactive materials (RAM) and waste. This Radiation Safety Policy applies to the use of all radioactive materials in all areas of the Environmental Biotechnology Center s labs and is a supplement to the ASU Radiation Safety Office policies. Obtaining Permission to use Radioactive Material as ASU: All radioactive material at ASU is procured and used in accordance with provisions of a sub-license issued to the Center by the ASU Radiation Safety Committee and the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO). Sub-licenses are only issued to full time faculty or staff of ASU. There is one sub-license for the Center held by Dr Bruce Rittmann; all other users in the center are covered under that sub-license. Sub-licenses may be revoked by the Radiation Safety Committee when, in their opinion, the training and experience of the users is inadequate or the procedures for using the radioactive material is deemed unsafe. Radioactive material sub-licenses are specific with regard to the nuclide permitted and the maximum activity in μci, the chemical/physical form of the material to be used, the maximum quantity for each nuclide stored in a single container, used in an experimental procedure and the stored in the laboratory at one time. The location for use of the radioactive material must be approved in advance as is the location for storage of the material. All experimental protocols using radioactive materials must be approved before use may begin. Requests to amend the sub-license must be submitted to the Radiation Safety Committee in advance. These requests for amendments must be specify the changes needed in the nuclide permitted, activity limits, chemical or physical form, procedures for use of materials and the location for use, storage and disposal of materials. Responsibilities of the Sub-License Holder: The sub-license holder must comply with all ARRA regulations and with the conditions of their radioactive materials sub-license. The sub-license holder may delegate their responsibilities to the Center Lab Manager with regard to Radiation Safety but will remain ultimately responsible for all compliance matters. The Center must ensure that all the staff members assigned to research requiring the use of radioactive materials are properly trained and supervised. The use of all radioactive material follows approved protocols. The RSO must be notified in advance of all absences by the sub-license holder from campus that will exceed 3 weeks at one time. diane hagner Page 1 11/4/2015

2 Responsibilities for Radioactive Materials Users: All personnel working with radioactive materials must attend an annual refresher training session presented under the direction of the RSO. The Center Lab Manager will monitor the training status of all RAM users and will schedule training sessions when they are due and when new people are added to the center. Monitoring Radiation Doses from External Sources: Each RAM user is issued a set of personal dosimeters (ring and badge) to monitor the exposure of the body of penetrating ionizing radiation such as gamma and x-rays and exposure of the skin to less penetrating radiation such as beta particles; additionally they are also used as estimates of exposure to the eye. The badges must be worn by personnel working with RAM as well as by individuals handling radioactive materials such as micro-curie quantities in check sources. The badges are to be worn on the trunk of the body at or above the waist (preferably on the pocket or lapel of the lab coat). The dossimetry badges must be removed when leaving the lab and should be left in an area protected from heat, direct sunlight and moisture. It is recommended to wear the ring dosimeters on the inside of gloves with the recording portion towards the source when being worn. The Dosimeters are issued on a quarterly basis. The RSO will deliver new badges to the Center Lab Manager and exchange them for the previous quarter s units. Campus mail is NOT to be used for this purpose. In the event that a dosimeter is either lost or damaged it must be reported to the RSO by the Center Lab manager immediately for replacement at a charge of $10.00 per dosimeter. Reports of the radiation dossimetry for the center staff is maintained at the ASU Radiation Safety Office and is available for review by the personnel by appointment and requires proper identification to maintain compliance with all federal and state privacy regulations. An annual report on dossimetry results will be sent to the center as well as to the individuals for their records. Any results that exceed the investigational limits will be notified as soon as this information is discovered. Analysis of the cause of this exposure will be conducted by the Center Lab Manager in conjunction with the ASU RSO with the aim to correct what ever caused the exposure. Regulatory Dose Limits: The annual limit on the dose of ionizing radiation which individuals working with RAM can receive is 5 rem Total Effective Dose. Declaration of Pregnancy: If a staff member should formally declare in writing that they are pregnant then the allowable limit for exposure is set to 0.5 rem, or 10% of the allowable dose to the worker. These limits will remain in place until the conclusion of the pregnancy. When formally declaring a pregnancy for these purposes a written statement including the estimated date of conception is to be sent by the employee to both the Center Lab Manager and to the ASU Radiation Safety Office. diane hagner Page 2 11/4/2015

3 Ordering Radioactive Material: Radioactive Material in any quantity may not be obtained with out prior approval of the ASU Office of Radiation Safety (ORS). The organization or persons that are providing the RAM must have certification from the ORS that ASU is licensed to receive the material. The ORS is responsible that all DIT and NRC regulations are adhered to with respect to transport and receipt of the RAM. All orders for RAM must be approved by the ORS. All transfers of RAM must be approved by the ORS. All donations of RAM must be approved by the ORS. When ordering RAM the ORS must be provided with the chemical/physical form of the nuclide and the activity in μci or mci. The delivery site for ALL RAM is the ORS office where the ORS staff with conduct a survey of the material for radiation levels and surface contamination. It will then be delivered to the lab by the ORS staff. Source Control Number: Each vial or source containing RAM is given a Source Control Number (SCN) at the time it arrives at ASU by the ORS. The SCN assists to track information on orders and material in the lab. A Source Utilization Log is issued to the lab for each vial of consumable RAM when it is delivered by the ORS staff. This log is updated by the users when RAM is disposed of as waste. The log will remain in the possession of the user until all of the RAM in the vial has been disposed of, at which time the log is returned to the PRS. These records must be maintained in the laboratory to assist in keeping track of RAM in work areas and be available for review by ORS staff and/or state inspectors and auditors. All entries should be as accurate as possible and may be conservative estimates when exact quantities are not known. An example of the Source Unitization Report Form can be found in Appendix 1 Quarterly Radioactive Source Inventory: At the end of each calendar quarter the ORS will send out a list of radionuclide sources on record as being in possession of each sub-license holder. Sources are identified by the source number, radionuclide and the chemical/physical form. A physical check must be conducted for all radioactive material listed on these quarterly inventories. Any additional radioactive material not on these lists be identified and brought to the attention of the ORS. The activity of the sources on hand should be checked and corrected if there are changes due to decay or disposal. Monitoring in the Lab: The Center for Environmental Biotechnology has purchased a hand held survey meter. This instrument is to be used to monitor contamination of work surfaces in the lab. It must be calibrated annually by the RSO and this documentation filed in the Radiation Records for the lab. When work with RAM is performed the hand held survey meter is used to confirm that the work area is free from radioactive material contamination and that there has been no contamination to the researcher. The work area will be wiped down with Radiacwash spray and paper towels; the area checked with the hand held monitor and the process repeated until the area is at back ground levels. Hands are to be checked using the monitor before leaving the lab to prevent contamination of the areas out side the designated RAM use areas. Use the Radiacwash to decontaminate the hands should they diane hagner Page 3 11/4/2015

4 exceed background readings. Record the Surface Survey Reports result to document the work area is free from contamination. These Reports will be retained by the Center Laboratory Manager. See Appendix 1 for these report forms. Transportation of Radioactive Material: Radioactive material is not permitted to be removed from ASU without prior written authorization from the Office of Radiation Safety. The Radiation Safety Officer will direct packaging and transportation of this material. This includes movement of small amounts of radioactivity in samples or cultures, sealed check sources contained in instruments and any movement of radioactive material between the ASU Main Campus and other ASU campus locations. Movement of radioactive material between buildings at ASU is permitted with the following rules: the material must be packaged to prevent spillage in closed containers with tight fitting lids. All containers must be properly labeled; glass containers must be surrounded with sufficient absorbent material to prevent loss due to breakage. The material must be shielded such that the exposure rate at 1 meter from the package is less than 10 mr/hr. Transportation of radioactive materials in the hallways at the Biodesign Institute must follow the same rules as transportation between buildings. Disposal of Radioactive Waste: Solid Radioactive Waste is to be disposed of in the designated containers placed by the ORS and are collected on a regular basis. The containers will be labeled with signs reading Radioactive Waste or Radioactive Material. Solid Waste includes damp paper, solid containers with residual moisture on the surfaces. Any test tubes or vials containing pourable amounts of radioactive liquids must be emptied before placing them in the solid waste containers. Liquid radioactive waste will be collected in the polyethylene containers provided by the ORS and collected on a regular basis. The containers will be labeled with signs reading Radioactive Waste or Radioactive Material. These containers are to be place into an outer container such as a plastic dish pan to prevent spills. Care must be taken when disposing of radioactive liquids to avoid contaminating the outside of these containers. Radioactive waste may not be disposed of in sinks. Liquid Scintillation vials are not to be disposed of as either solid waste or as liquid waste. They are in their own category and should be segregated in to two groups either vials with only 3 H or 14 C in scintillation fluid or vials containing any other isotopes in scintillation fluid. The vials may be packed for disposal in the original cardboard racks from the vendor or in containers supplied by the ORS. Do not put liquid filled vials in the solid waste containers and do not dispose of scintillation fluid down the drains. Waste Documentation and Removal: Prior to removal by the ORS, a waste documentation tag must be attached to the container detailing the nuclides, activities, the responsible sub-license holder and the effective date of this information. The presence of other hazardous materials such as xylene or toluene based liquid scintillation fluids must be documented on the card. Contact the ORS for removal of any radioactive waste do not contact ASU EH&S for removal of these waste items. Campus wide pick-up of radioactive waste is performed on a weekly basis and extra containers are available from the ORS during business hours. An example of the Radioactive Waste Disposal Log is available in Appendix 1. diane hagner Page 4 11/4/2015

5 Emergency Health Procedures: There is always a potential for emergencies involving the creation of significant radiation hazards. These incidents may be complicated by injuries to personnel. As in all emergency situations, the primary concern must always be protection of personnel from hazards, whether they are radioactive hazards or non-radioactive hazards. In the event of minor spills notify all others working in the area at once and confine the spill immediately. For liquid spills, don protective gloves and place absorbent paper on the spill. For dry spills don protective gloves and place a lightly moistened absorbent paper on the spill, taking care not to spread the contamination in the process. If the spill is on the skin, flush the area thoroughly with water; if the spill is on clothing remove and discard the outer clothing at one. Notify ORS immediately ORS (available 8-5 M-Fri) Nights/Weekends or holidays contact ORS via ASU DPS : ask to speak to the Radiation Safety Officer on Call No one is permitted to resume work or leave the area until the RSO approves. In the event of injuries, administer first aid as needed, contact the RSO immediately. If medical treatment is necessary, the RSO and the physician will determine when the employee may return to work. diane hagner Page 5 11/4/2015

6 Appendix 1: Source Utilization Report Form example Work Surface Monitoring Report Form example Radioactive Waste Disposal Log - example diane hagner Page 6 11/4/2015