Emergencies
resulting from accidents in radionuclide laboratories may range from minor
spills of radioactivity, involving relatively no personal hazard to major
radiation incidents and spills, involving moderate hazards and possible
bodily injury. Because of the numerous complicating factors that may
arise, and because of the wide range and variety of hazards, set rules of
emergency procedures cannot be made to cover all possible situations.
In any emergency, however, the primary concern must always be the
protection of personnel from radiation hazards. The secondary concern is
the confinement of the contamination to the local area of the accident if
possible.
The following procedures are regarded as recommendations except those
with asterisks (*) which are required:
WHEN CALLING THE RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER OR PUBLIC SAFETY,
REMEMBER ALWAYS TO STATE:
** TYPE OF RADIATION EMERGENCY
** YOUR NAME
** WHERE EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED
** IF THE RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER WAS UNABLE TO BE
REACHED
I. Minor Spills In Unprotected Areas Involving No
Radiation Hazard To Personnel (in any amount)
*a. Notify all other persons in the area
immediately.
b. Permit only the minimum number of persons
necessary to deal with the spill into the area.
c. Confine the spill immediately.
1. Liquid spills - don protective gloves, drop
absorbent paper on spill.
2. Dry spills - don protective gloves, drop dampened
absorbent paper on spill.1
*f. Notify the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER as soon as
possible.2
*e. Permit no one to resume work in the area until
approval of the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER is secured.
II. Major Spills - Involving Radiation Hazards to
Personnel
*a. Notify all other persons in the area
immediately of the hazard.
*b. Request all persons not potentially
contaminated by the spill to vacate the room at once and notify the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER
immediately giving details of the spill.2
c. Make no immediate attempt to clean up the
spill.
d. If the spill has contaminated the skin,
flush the
affected area thoroughly with water. If the spill is on clothing, remove
affected clothing at once.
e. Switch off all air circulating devices (e.g.
fans)
which may cause spilled liquids or powders to become airborne.
*f. Prohibit entry to the contaminated area.
Do not allow persons who are potentially contaminated to leave the
vicinity of the accident.
*g. Permit no person to work in the area until
the approval of the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER is secured.
h. Under no circumstances should an untrained
person
attempt to examine or clean up the radioactive material.
III. Accidents - Involving Radioactive Dusts, Mist,
Fumes, Organic Vapors, and Gases
*a. Notify all other persons to vacate the
room immediately.
b. Hold breath and close all windows. Switch off air
circulating devices if time permits.
*c. Vacate the room.
*d. Notify the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER at
once.2
e. Ascertain that all doors giving access to the room
are closed and locked. If necessary, post signs and/or guards to prevent
accidental opening of doors.
*f. Do not re-enter the room until approval of
the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER is secured.
IV. Injuries to Personnel - Involving Radiation
Hazard
a. Wash minor wounds immediately (within 15
minutes if possible) under running water while spreading edges of gash.
*b. Notify the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER as
soon as possible. If the injury is serious, administer first aid, if qualified, without
regard to the radiation hazard; if not qualified, immediately obtain
medical assistance by contacting PUBLIC SAFETY or by dialing
911.2
*c. Permit no person involved in a radiation
injury to return to work without approval of the RADIATION SAFETY
OFFICER.
V. Over-Exposure or Ingestion
*a. Any person who suspects over-exposure to
radiation from any source must report immediately, by phone or in person,
to the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER. (Per regulation, an over-exposure is
considered to be a dose exceeding 5 rem per year to the whole body or 50
rem per year to the most exposed 10 cm2 portion of the skin or an
extremity.)
*b. Any person who swallows, injects, absorbs,
or otherwise ingests radioactive materials (excluding those which are a
part of medical diagnosis or therapy) must report the intake immediately
to the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER or PUBLIC SAFETY.
VI. Fires - Involving Radioactivity
*a. Leave the building immediately closing the
door as you leave. Use a portable fire extinguisher only to assist
yourself and others to evacuate or to control or put out a small fire if
radiation hazard is not immediately present.
*b. Pull fire alarm as you leave the building.
Notify Emergency Responders by dialing 911 from a campus phone or public phone.
A campus blue-light emergency telephone may also be used.
*c. Notify RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER.2
*d. Remain on the scene and report to the
command post established by emergency responders (a green flashing light
is often used to identify the post). Advise responders and the RSO
regarding the nature of the fire.
VII. Defects in Radiation Devices
*a. Whenever there is a failure of a safety
component of a
radiation device that may indicate a defect and could contribute to the
exceeding of a safety limit, the user of that device must immediately
notify the RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER.2 (Example: shutter
preventing
radioactivity from exiting a radiation device jams in the open
position.)
b. The RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER will then make an
evaluation and report findings to the NRC Operations Center per the
requirements of 10 CFR 21.21.
Footnotes:
*Required Action
1Water may be used except when chemical reaction with water
would generate an air contaminant. Oil should then be used.
2The RADIATION SAFETY OFFICER (or another qualified
emergency
responder) may be reached:
i) directly during regular working hours at 831-8475 or
ii) through the Dept. of Public Safety, 24 hours a day, at
831-2222.
VIII. Call List for Radiation Emergencies
| 1. |
William Fendt, Radiation Safety
Officer |
Office: 302-831-8475
Home: 610-494-8296
Cell Phone: 302-275-3041
|
| 2. |
Robin Elliott, Director,
Environmental Health & Safety |
Office: 302-831-8475
Home: 302-731-4379
Cell Phone: 302-218-3870 |
| 3. |
Public Safety - 24 hour call desk |
911
or: 302-831-2222 |
If the Radiation Safety Officer and Director are unavailable, the
Department of Public Safety will notify another emergency responder within
the Department of Environmental Health & Safety or one of the following
members of the Radiation Safety Committee.
| Building |
Name |
Telephone Numbers Work |
Telephone Numbers Home
|
Wolf Hall
McKinly Lab |
Dr. Robert Hodson
Biological Sciences
Dr. Ulhas Naik
Biological Sciences |
831-8440
831-0434/1224 |
302-239-4039
302-235-2824
|
| |
Brown Lab
Drake Hall
Lammot DuPont |
Dr. Colin Thorpe
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. John Koh
Chemistry and
Biochemistry
|
831-2689
831-1947
| 302-731-8750
610-869-2308
|
| |
DuPont
Evans
Spencer Lab
Colburn |
Dr. Douglas Buttrey
Chemical Engineering |
831-2034 |
410-398-1212 |
| |
Townsend Hall
Worrilow Hall
Allen Lab
Delaware Biotechnology Institute |
Dr. Larry Cogburn
Animal and Food Sciences |
831-1335/2138 |
610-869-3670
|
| |
Penny Hall
Delaware Geological Survey |
Dr. Peter Leavens
Geology |
831-8106 |
302-738-9317
|
| |
Cannon Lab
Smith Lab (Lewes Campus)
R/V Cape Henlopen |
Dr. K. Eric Wommack
College of Marine Studies |
302-831-4326 |
302-239-5020 |
Only if directed by one of the above, call the following for
additional assistance:
| 1. |
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Region I |
Telephone: 610-337-5000 or 800-432-1156
|
| 2. |
Office of Radiation Control
State of
Delaware |
Telephone: 302-744-4546 |
