Radiation Safety Training Annual Refresher Training Washington State University Radiation Safety Office

1. Radiation Safety TrainingAnnual Refresher Training Washington State UniversityRadiation Safety Office

2. Why have refresher training? • The annual refresher training is designed to reinforce important safety information, provide any new information and to cover areas that have presented problems in laboratories over the past year.

3. In each laboratory that is authorized for radioactive materials use, you will find this form (RHF-3) posted. This form gives the contact information for the Washington state Department of Health. It also list some of your and some of the employer's responsibilities.

4. Good Laboratory Practices • Remember Time, Distance, Shielding • Wear Protective Clothing: gloves, lab coat, long pants, full toed shoes • Designate areas for RAM work • Cover work areas with absorbent paper, absorbent side up • Use a hood if possible • Avoid skin contact with contaminated gloves • Survey: your gloves, hands, coat, shoes, and your work area • Always wash your hands (even when wearing gloves) after the experiment, as well as before leaving the work area, picking up the phone, etc.

5. CONTROLLING EXTERNAL HAZARD • TIME: Radiation dose is proportional to the duration of the exposure. • DISTANCE: Radiation dose is proportional to 1/(Distance)2. • SHIELDING: Radiation dose is determined by the type and thickness of shielding materials used. Correct selection of Shielding Materials are a function of type and energy of radiation.

6. Protective Clothing • Can be a very effective means of preventing skin, eyes, & clothing from becoming contaminated • Always wear Gloves (may want double layer) • Always wear your Lab Coat • Eyewear to prevent splashes and provide shielding for high energy beta emitters • Closed toe footwear and long pants are required • It is much easier to remove contaminated clothing than to decontaminate your skin!

7. Contamination Control • The major hazard for most radioactive materials on the WSU campus comes from internalizing the radioactive material. • Once the radioactive materials are inside your body, you lose all the protections from TIME, DISTANCE AND SHIELDING. • Contamination Control is the key to preventing internalization of radioactive materials.

8. Contamination Control • Watch out where you put your “hot” hands during an experiment • Monitor yourself and your work area frequently for radioactivity (gloves, hands, feet, etc.) • Use most sensitive scale on meter (X0.1 or X1) and have the sound on • Have meter out and handy • Make sure to wash your hands frequently and after finishing an experiment Don’t bring radioactive material to lunch or to your home! • Monitor your work area before and after an experiment

9. Surveys • After each use of radioactive material : Except H-3, the area shall be surveyed using an appropriate survey meter (not required to be documented) • Including the use of H-3, all areas of experimental use shall be wipe tested to determine if contamination is present (not required to be documented) • Documented surveys (meter and wipe test) must be completed on either a weekly or monthly basis depending upon the isotope and frequency of use.

10. Use of Survey Meter review. Check for Calibration Sticker Check battery Check background radiation Check meter response to a known radiation source. Record the check source results and background readings in the meter notebook. Survey meter use.

11. Radiation Safety Instrumentation. • Before an instrument is used for a radiation safety survey. It must be determined that the instrument is functioning properly and that it is calibrated. This includes both radiation survey meters and LSCs. By using the quality assurance notebooks associated with the instrument. You can determine if the instrument is functioning properly and calibrated.

12. Survey meter Quality Assurance Notebook. Every survey meter should have a “Survey Meter Quality Assurance Notebook”. Be sure the cover page of your note book is filled in properly. Fill in meter manufacturer and serial number. Fill in probe model number and serial number. Ludlum 3 111111111 44-9 22222222 Fill in Meter storage location. Fill in Authorized User or Equipment Coordinator’s name and contact phone number and the same for an alternate contact. Fulmer 123 Arthur Dent 555-4242 Ford Prefect 555-5883

13. Survey meter Quality Assurance Notebook. This is the Response Check Source page in the notebook. Place the meter probe over the check source to get the check source reading. Record this reading on the next page of the notebook.

14. Survey meter Quality Assurance Notebook. Ludlum 3 1111111111 44-9 222222222 450 Be sure the information has been filled in on this page. Meter and serial number. Probe and serial number. The Expected response to check source, should have been filled in by the Radiation Safety Office. 1/1/11 Dr. Who 50 450 Verify the calibration status of the meter. Record the background reading and the response check reading. Record the date and your name. The meter is now ready to be used for the radiation safety survey.

15. LSC Quality Assurance notebook. • Each LSC will have a Quality Assurance Notebook. • Be sure to fill in the cover of the notebook. Supervisory Authorized user or equipment coordinator. Plus an alternate and their contact information.

16. LSC Quality Assurance notebook. P/E 2910 123456 1/1/11 Dr. Who 12/27/10 14 Check to see when the last SNC or IPA was run. This is a self check of the LSC. It is done by counting the unquenched standards that came with the LSC. The printout should be in the back of the notebook. It must have been done within the past 7 days. You are now ready to start counting your swipes. Be sure the information at the top of the page is filled in. Fill in the date and your name. Enter the number of the program you are using to count your swipes. Check the calibration status of the LSC. This information is in the back of the notebook. The LSC must have been calibrated within the past 12 months. This is the data page inside the notebook.

17. 6/10/09 Dodgen 210 Ludlum 3 1234 50 11:35 77777 Record meter serial number. Record meter background radiation reading. 30 2 4 Recordmeter used. 2 Sink 3 3 3 Hood 6 Record LSC serial number. 4 locker 4 Record your meter survey results. 5 Door knob 0 6 Floor 2 6 5 This lab survey form is available at http://www.rso.wsu.edu/user radiation survey form.pdf Survey all locations and areas with the potential to become radioactively contaminated, including hands and shoes. Also any areas where your meter survey showed contamination. Record these locations on your map. All meter readings are at background levels. Swipe areas where radioactive materials were used and areas that may have become contaminated. Number the swipe spot on your map. Fill in location. Building and room number. Record swipe counts. Record all the swipe results. Record swipe location. Record the swipe number. Record the date and time of the survey. Run the swipes in your LSC and record the results. Record your background counts. Draw a map of your lab.

18. WAC 246-221-150Security and control of radioactive material and radiation machines. •   Licensed radioactive materials and registered radiation machines shall be secured from, or controlled in such a manner so as to prevent, unauthorized access or removal from the place of storage.     Licensed radioactive materials in an unrestricted area and not in storage shall be tended under the constant surveillance and immediate control of the licensee. The authorized user must Maintain security of radioactive materials or radiation machines under his or her control or possession.

19. Security and control • Radioactive materials must be secured. Either by locking the lab door when the lab is unattended or by placing the radioactive materials in a lock box or in a locking freezer or refrigerator. • DO NOT LEAVE RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS UNATTENDED.

20. Radioactive materials inventory control. • WAC 246-220-020 • Records. •   (1) Each licensee or registrant shall maintain records relating to the receipt, use, storage, transfer, or disposal of radiation sources, • In other words, you must maintain an accurate and up to date inventory of your radioactive materials.

21. Radioactive Material Use Log Fulmer 123 Perkin Elmer ATP 11/21/10 None Dr Who 1-56 P-32 0.5 mCi 11/18/10 /rm 0.40 all placed in waste 11/25/10 0.10 12/18/10 RM SP All placed in waste 12/3/10 0.10 0.30 12/18/10 All placed in waste 0.30 0.0 RM 1/15/11 12/20/10 You must keep an accurate inventory of your radioactive materials. A use log such as this can help you keep track of your inventory. Enter the activity remaining in the vial. The original amount minus the amount removed. Each time someone extracts from the vial. They should make an entry on the form. Enter stock vial ID, if you use one. Otherwise use the activity date. Enter Authorized user and location. Enter chemical form. Enter vendor name. Enter the date received and initials of the person receiving the vial. After the waste for this entry is picked up. Enter the waste pick up date. Enter any special storage requirements. Enter your initials. Enter the activity removed from the vial. Enter Isotope. Enter the date the extraction was done. Enter the activity date. Enter any comments you would like. Enter the activity of the vial. This should be done each time a withdrawal is made from the vial. Until the vial is depleted. To calculate for waste disposal: Volume used x initial specific activity x decay fraction.

22. Inventory controlWaste • A large part of inventory control is proper waste tracking and reporting. The use log is very important for proper waste reporting.

23. Waste Program • You must fill out the waste receipt form completely and correctly, before your waste will be picked up. Be sure to report the isotope and activity from your use log.

24. Filling out the waste receipt form. Dr. Who 6/9/09 Chemistry Fulmer 123 .005 P-32 7 Water 95% NaCl 5% X Circle your waste type. Definitions of the abbreviations can be found on the back of the waste form. Enter the chemical makeup, with percentages, of the waste. The percentages should equal 100%. Enter the amount of activity that is in the waste For liquid waste, enter the pH of the liquid. Enter the nuclide that is in the waste. Fill in your location. Fill in your department. Fill in the Authorized users name. Mark the size of your waste container. Fill in the date.

25. The Back of the waste receipt form.

26. Waste pickup. • When you are ready to have your waste picked up, waste pick up form filled out and the outside of container checked for contamination, fill out a waste pick up request at our web site. http://www.rso.wsu.edu/radwastepickup.htm

27. More resources. • More information is available at our web site. http://www.rso.wsu.edu/ • And please feel free to review any of the training modules @ http://www.rso.wsu.edu/training/training.html any time.

28. Test Time! • Follow this link to the test. https://myresearch.wsu.edu • Use your WSU user name and password to sign in. • Click on the training tab. • Then click on the available training tab • Find the radiation refresher course, in the OR section, click on it and take the test.