CHAPTER 5

SERVICES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE RADIATION SAFETY OFFICE

EDUCATION / TRAINING/ CONSULTATION SERVICES

  1. Provides basic safety education to all radiation handlers on campus as well as special instruction in waste handling, contamination surveys, protein labeling, x-ray diffraction, x-ray machine use, and custodial responsibilities.

    The following services are available:

    Contact the RSO to schedule any of the above activities.

  2. Maintains a mailing list of radiation handlers for periodic communications regarding policy and procedural changes as well as announcements of available courses.
  3. Publishes articles in UVM Safety News on safety tips, techniques, and regulations.
  4. Maintains a World Wide Web (WWW) site on the Internet dealing with radiation safety information. The URL is: http://www.uvm.edu/~radsafe

INSPECTIONS (SAFETY AUDITS)

  1. Conducts unannounced annual inspections of all UVM radiation handling laboratories on campus to ensure adherence to the safety regulations in this Handbook
  2. Notifies the investigator of the results of all inspections.
  3. Evaluates the appropriateness of the investigator's response to a violation notice.
  4. Conducts repeat inspections of laboratories with repeat violations.
  5. Conducts unannounced inspections of UVM laboratories .
  6. Inspects laboratories at the request of employees. Such requests can remain anonymous.
  7. Ensures that labs conduct weekly surveys for contamination; reviews all reports for accuracy and completeness.

EMERGENCIES

  1. Responds immediately to:
  2. Campus police have the home telephone numbers of RSO staff to contact them for emergencies after work hours.

PERSONNEL MONITORING SERVICES

  1. Arranges with a commercial vendor to have film badges and ring monitors provided for all persons working with gamma ray-emitting and certain beta particle-emitting radionuclides.
  2. Distributes film badges and ring monitors to all participating departments each month.
  3. Reviews the personnel radiation exposure readings each month to ensure that they are within the ALARA action levels of 10% of the NRC limits.
  4. Notifies persons in writing when exposure readings exceed ALARA action levels of 10% of the NRC limits.
  5. Notifies persons in writing if monthly whole body exposure badges exceed 42 millirems, 125 millirems to lens of the eye, 417 millirems to the skin, or if monthly ring badges exceed 417 millirems.
  6. Takes action to reduce radiation exposures when necessary.
  7. Reports personnel radiation exposures to the RSC each calendar quarter.
  8. Maintains lifetime personnel radiation exposure records.
  9. Meets with pregnant radiation workers to discuss and explain monitoring and safety techniques.
  10. Obtains radiation exposure records from all personnel who have worn badges at other institutions .
  11. Sends an annual radiation exposure report to all current UVM personnel who used film badges and ring monitors during the year.
  12. Sends a written report to the lab supervisor whenever one or more persons in that lab receive an exposure 10 millirems in any month. If all persons in that lab have received M exposure (minimal), no report will be sent to the lab that particular month.
  13. Recovers all costs associated with this service by direct billing to the investigator.

WASTE DISPOSAL SERVICES

  1. Receives all radioactive waste generated on campus.
  2. Receives decayed dry waste for proper disposal in city landfill or approved incinerator.
  3. Sorts radioactive waste into appropriate categories defined by commercial disposal sites.
  4. Packages all radioactive waste, following NRC and disposal site requirements.
  5. Stores short-lived and long-lived radioactive waste at the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Facility in the Large Animal Facility.
  6. Arranges for commercial disposal of all radioactive waste generated on campus.
  7. Provides dry waste disposal containers to all radiation handling laboratories.
  8. Maintains all records of radioactive waste disposal as required by NRC and the State of Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
  9. Recovers all radioactive waste disposal costs by direct billing to the investigator who generates the waste. Billing is based on volume and waste category.
  10. Participates in the development of State legislation regarding low-level radioactive waste regulations.

IODINATIONS

  1. Oversees all Iodinations conducted on campus in the Iodination Facility in Room 012 Rowell.
  2. Trains all personnel prior to conducting Iodinations.
  3. Stores the stock vials of Iodine-125 for the Investigators.
  4. Checks each iodinator for contamination.
  5. Takes air effluent samples in restricted areas and unrestricted areas to ensure compliance with NRC regulations .
  6. Conducts wipe tests after each iodination to ensure the lab is clean before the next iodination. Decontaminates the iodination laboratory if necessary.
  7. Disposes of the waste generated during the iodination and bills the iodinator.
  8. Conducts a thyroid gland analysis for each iodinator before and after each iodination.
  9. Takes investigative action if any iodinator's thyroid gland assay indicates any uptake of I-125 or I-131.

AUTHORIZATION

  1. Screens all applications by new investigators prior to review by the RSC.
  2. Administers and grades written examinations for radiation handlers.
  3. Approves and commissions all space which is proposed for use as a radiation handling laboratory.
  4. Decommissions a radiation handling laboratory when an investigator terminates radiation work
  5. Recertifies all radiation handlers.

INSTRUMENTATION

  1. Conducts quality control tests on all radiation detectors used by the RSO.
  2. Assists laboratories to determine the efficiency of their detectors for various radionuclides.
  3. Ensures that all radiation detectors used for contamination survey reports are calibrated annually.
  4. Loans Geiger counters to labs for short time periods.
  5. Allows labs to use the RSO s liquid scintillation counter for short time periods.

ORDERING AND RECEIVING OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

  1. Approves all orders for radioactive materials after receiving the purchase requisition from the authorized investigator.
  2. Maintains an inventory of all radiation sources and radioactive materials at UVM to ensure that the University's possession limit is not exceeded.
  3. Provides copies of Investigator's radionuclide inventory upon request.
  4. Checks all packages of unsealed radioactive materials for contamination before transfer to the authorized Investigator.

LEAK TESTS

  1. Conducts leak tests on all actively used sealed radiation sources on campus every 6 months, including the Cs-137 Irradiator and the neutron howitzer.

RADIOGRAPHIC X-RAY MACHINES

  1. Arranges for the State of Vermont to conduct safety checks on all x-ray machines.
  2. Trains personnel to use x-ray machines.

SPONSORED PROJECT APPROVAL

  1. The Office of Sponsored Programs requires RSO approval for all grant applications which propose to use radiation.

    Approval is based on: qualifications of investigator, impact on University's radionuclide possession limit, safety of the project, and adequacy of funds for waste disposal.

    Approval by the RSO at the time of grant submission does not eliminate the need for a formal and detailed evaluation of the project if and when it is funded.

CESIUM-137 IRRADIATOR

  1. Assists in the training of all persons who need to use the Irradiator.
  2. Conducts leak tests every 6 months as required by NRC.

LICENSING

  1. Ensures that UVM's license is renewed every 5 years
  2. Amends the NRC license when necessary
  3. responds to NRC notice of violations and takes corrective actions.
  4. Notifies the NRC if there is any:
  5. Secures permits for the use of disposal sites.

MISCELLANEOUS

  1. Provides financial data to Grants and Contract Accounting to be used in indirect rate computations.