radguide

43 Radiation for Radionuclide Users Accidents Involving Personal Injury For any accident involving personal injury, medical treatment or assistance will always be the first priority. This may involve administering first aid and/or calling 911 for emergency medical assistance. For accidents involving radioactive materials, contamination control and exposure control are also important but should never delay or impede medical assistance. If radioactive materials are involved, the RSO must be notified as soon as possible. After the injured person is treated and removed from the accident site, the previously described procedures should be followed as appropriate. Decontamination Procedures In the event that surfaces or equipment within the laboratory are suspected or determined to be contaminated with radioactive material, the radionuclide user must initiate and complete appropriate decontamination procedures. For most relatively minor contamination incidents, the following general steps should be taken upon discovery of the contamination: 1. Mark the perimeter of the contaminated area. 2. Notify the RSO of the contamination so that their staff can more accurately assess the extent of the contamination and advise and assist in the decontamination effort. 3. Assemble cleaning supplies such as paper towels, detergent in water, plastic bags and plastic gloves. 4. Proceed with scrubbing the area from the borders to the center, cleaning small areas at a time. 5. Periodically monitor the effectiveness of the decontamination effort with surface wipes and instrument surveys. 6. Place all contaminated cleaning materials such as paper towels, rags, and gloves in a plastic bag and label as radioactive waste. 7. Notify the RSO upon completion of the decontamination effort so that a follow-up contamination survey can be made.