2004 Radiation Safety Refresher Training

1. 2004 Radiation Safety Refresher Training Sue Dupre, Radiation Safety Officer Stephen Elwood, Health & Safety Specialist

2. The Refresher Training News This year’s refresher training topics include: • New user-friendly EHS website • No incidents this year! • No spills, contamination incidents, no missing materials during the last year • Results of intensive audit of eight labs • Policy changes and administrative changes • NRC inspection expected this spring

3. EHS website • A new EHS website was introduced last fall. • The website is intended to be much more user-friendly and easy to search • The next four slides show examples of the new Radiation Safety pages on the EHS site • Go to www.princeton.edu/ehs for the main EHS page

4. EHS website

8. Audit Observations • Lab Inventories • Lab inventories are sometimes excessive because labs hold onto old samples and old stocks, just in case. Be sure to regularly discard old stock vials and unneeded materials • Actual lab inventories are sometimes much smaller than the electronic RITA inventories because Vial Use Logs are not returned to EHS after the vials are discarded. • Return Vial Use Logs after vial is discarded • EHS will reinstitute quarterly reconciliation of lab inventories through RITA

9. Audit Observations Survey Documentation • Most of the labs audited were seriously deficient in maintaining survey logs. • Remember to record every postoperational survey! • For each withdrawal from a vial (noted on the Vial Use Log), there should be an accompanying survey for that day (noted on the Survey Log). • Wipe surveys for H-3 use must also be noted on the Survey Log.

10. Audit Observations Labeling and Housekeeping Issues • Be sure to label individual pieces of contaminated equipment even if the equipment is located within a radioactive work area. • Label samples as radioactive (i.e., trays of liquid scintillation counting samples). Include isotope, date, etc. • Remove labeling when no longer needed. • Keep rad work areas as organized and free of extraneous items as possible.

11. Audit Observations Security and Waste • Unsecured stock vials were found • Lock away stock vials as soon as you are done with them • Don’t leave stock vials unattended • We found a liquid waste bottle labeled as “Not P-32” • Label wastes clearly with the isotope, date, etc. that the container actually does contain

12. Audit Observations Lack of Familiarity with Isotopes in Use • During the audit we found some inexperienced isotope users who did not understand the properties of the isotopes they were using. For instance, one new user was using an I-125 scintillation meter to survey for C-14 (impossible to detect C-14 with that kind of meter) • Know the hazards, properties, shielding requirements, appropriate survey techniques, waste disposal requirements for the isotope you use

13. Review of Incident Procedures One of the inexperienced users said that she would call the Princeton Medical Center if she discovered contamination on her hand. This is incorrect! Be sure to review radiation incident procedures. • Incidents include: • Spill of radioactive materials • Widespread or unusual contamination • Any case of contamination on • skin or clothing • Missing radioactive materials • Exposure to an x-ray machine

14. Radiation Incident Notification • Call EHS during work hours • Call Public Safety at 8-3134 after work hours

15. Shipping Radioactive and Other Hazardous Materials • This is a reminder that all hazardous materials must be shipped in compliance with U.S. DOT regulations • Contact EHS if you have any question at all that your shipment might contain an officially defined hazardous material. • EHS will assist you with the shipment • Complete the online Shipping Hazardous Materials form found on the EHS site • Allow several days in advance to make sure that arrangements can be made

16. Mixed Wastes • Definition: Any waste that is radioactive and is also a RCRA-listed hazardous chemical waste. • Recent examples include radioactive acetonitrile (byproduct of HPLC) and methanol • Complete the Mixed Waste Tracking Form on the EHS website when the waste is generated.

17. Policy and Procedural Changes

18. New Waste Containers & Procedures New radioactive waste containers and waste instruction cards have been placed in all the laboratories.

19. Waste Can Categories • Liquid Scintillation Counting Wastes • Any isotope; flashpoint > 140° F • P-32 Solid Wastes • DIS Solid Wastes • t½ < 120 days (P-33, S-35, I-125) • Long-Lived Solid Wastes • t½ > 120 days (H-3, C-14)

20. New Eating/Drinking Policy A new Eating/Drinking policy has been implemented that will allow a very few labs to establish Eating/Drinking Areas. The new policy is intended for those labs in which there is wide separation between research areas and desk areas.

21. Eating/Drinking Areas • New policy approved by the Radiation Safety Committee to allow eating and drinking in very limited areas and under very strict conditions. • Not applicable to most labs (all desk areas must be totally separate from lab areas). • Interested labs must apply to the RSC

22. Transferring Radioactive Materialsbetween University Labs • The Radiation Safety Committee has just approved a new policy regarding the transfer of radioactive materials between Princeton University labs: • The transferring lab must go to the EHS website to check whether the recipient lab is authorized to possess the radioisotope in question. • If authorization exists, the transferring lab will send a notification e-mail to EHS via the website and may proceed to make the transfer. • EHS will follow up to adjust inventories and send out a new Vial Use Log if necessary.

23. NRC Inspection • An NRC inspection is expected this spring (it’s been two years since the last inspection) • Check lab conditions and records • Make sure training for all lab personnel is up-to-date • Pay attention to security matters • Can your lab personnel answer the sample NRC Interview questions? Check with your lab manager if you did not receive a copy of the sample interview questions.

24. Radiation Safety Program Feedback • Your questions, comments, suggestions and feedback are welcome.