Radioactive Materials Safety Manual

37 Radioactive Materials Safety Manual Environmental Health and Safety gloves, protective footwear, and safety glasses. Open footwear cannot be worn in ISU laboratories. • Dosimeters, if issued, must be worn when working with RAM. • All containers of RAM must be marked radioactive with the radionuclide indicated. • All items suspected or known to be contaminated must be marked as radioactive. • All contaminated waste items must be placed in a container specifically designated for radioactive waste. Sharp items, such as needles or razor blades, shall be placed in a cardboard box, glass bottle, or “sharps” container. • A radiation survey must be performed by the radionuclide user at the end of each procedure, or at the end of a sequence of procedures, involving RAM and the results of the survey recorded and maintained. • A record of the types and quantities of radionuclides possessed by each PI at a given time must be maintained. Approved Locations and Equipment RAM use is allowed only in areas posted as a RAM use area. Likewise, equipment used with RAM shall be marked with a radiation marking. Equipment cannot be removed from the designated laboratory until it has been surveyed, decontaminated and deemed free of RAM. Marked equipment can be consigned to waste in lieu of decontamination. Contamination Surveys by Authorized Personnel Contamination surveys must be completed by authorized personnel after each use of RAM or at the end of each day for procedures lasting multiple days. The surveys are conducted using a portable survey instrument, smear samples, or both, depending on the radionuclides used. If measurements are found to exceed two times the background reading, initiate appropriate decontamination procedures. All items found to be contaminated must be placed either in a radioactive waste container or marked as radioactive with the radionuclide specified, and placed in a designated area. Any surfaces found to be contaminated must be marked radioactive and decontaminated as soon as possible. A follow-up survey is required following the decontamination procedures. The survey should always include a check of personnel for possible contamination. EH&S must be notified immediately if extensive contamination is found within the laboratory or if any personnel are found to be contaminated. All survey results must be recorded and the survey records maintained in the lab.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTkwNTUw