Department of Energy (DOE) Radiological Control Manual

Chapter 3 - Conduct of Radiological Work

Part 4 - Radiological Work Controls

Table of Contents (Articles 34x)

• 341 Requirements
• 342 Work Conduct and Practices
• 343 Logs and Communications
• 344 Review of Work in Progress
• 345 Stop Radiological Work Authority
• 346 Response to Abnormal Situations
• 347 Controls for Benchtop Work, Laboratory Fume Hoods, Sample Stations and Gloveboxes
• 348 Controls for Hot Particles

Article 341 - Requirements

1. Radiological work activities shall be conducted as specified by the controlling technical work document and Radiological Work Permit.

2. Prerequisite conditions, such as tag-outs and system isolation, should be verified in accordance with the technical work documents before work is initiated.

Article 342 - Work Conduct and Practices

1. Contamination levels caused by ongoing work shall be monitored and maintained ALARA. Work should be curtailed and decontamination performed at preestablished levels, taking into account worker exposure.

2. Tools and equipment should be inspected to verify operability before being brought into Contamination, High Contamination or Airborne Radioactivity Areas.

3. The use of radiologically clean tools or equipment in Contamination, High Contamination or Airborne Radioactivity Areas should be minimized by the implementation of a contaminated tool crib in accordance with Article 442.5. When such use is necessary, tools or equipment with complex or inaccessible areas should be wrapped or sleeved to minimize contamination.

4. Engineering controls, such as containment devices, portable or auxiliary ventilation and temporary shielding, should be installed in accordance with the technical work documents and inspected prior to use.

5. Hoses and cables entering the work area should be secured to prevent the spread of contamination or safety hazards.

6. The identity of components and systems should be verified prior to work.

7. Work activities and shift changes should be scheduled to prevent idle time in radiation areas.

8. Where practicable, parts and components should be removed to areas with low dose rates to perform work.

9. Upon identification of radiological concerns, such as inappropriate work controls or procedural deficiencies, workers should immediately report the concern to line supervision or the Radiological Control Organization.

10. Requirements for area cleanup should be included in the technical work documents. Work activities should not be considered complete until support material and equipment have been removed and the area has been returned to at least prework status.

11. To minimize intakes of radioactive material by personnel, smoking, eating, or chewing shall not be permitted in Contamination, High Contamination or Airborne Radioactivity Areas. When a potential exists for personnel heat stress, drinking may be permitted within a Contamination Area under the following conditions and controls:

12. The potential for heat stress cannot be reduced by the use of administrative or engineering controls
13. All drinking is from approved containers or sources
14. At a minimum, worker's hands and faces are monitored for contamination prior to drinking
15. Participating workers are monitored as part of the bioassay program
16. The applicable requirements and controls are described in approved procedures.

Article 343 - Logs and Communications

1. Radiological Control personnel should maintain logs to document radiological occurrences, status of work activities and other relevant information.

2. During continuous or extended daily operations, oncoming Radiological Control personnel should review logs and receive a turnover briefing from the personnel they are relieving.

3. Communication systems required by the Radiological Work Permit or technical work document should be checked for operability before being brought into the work area and periodically during work.

4. Workers should keep Radiological Control personnel informed of the status of work activities that affect radiological conditions.

Article 344 - Review of Work in Progress

1. As part of their normal work review, work supervisors should periodically review ongoing jobs to ensure prescribed radiological controls are being implemented.

2. Radiological Control personnel should conduct frequent tours of the workplace to review the adequacy of radiological work practices, posting and area controls.

3. During the performance of jobs for which a pre-job dose estimate was made, the Radiological Control Organization, in cooperation with line management, should periodically monitor collective dose accumulation and compare it with the pre-job dose estimate. Differences should be reviewed to identify causes and assess the need for corrective actions.

Article 345 - Stop Radiological Work Authority

1. Radiological Control Technicians and their supervisors, line supervision, and any worker through their supervisor has the authority and responsibility to stop radiological work activities for any of the following reasons:

2. Inadequate radiological controls
3. Radiological controls not being implemented
4. Radiological Control Hold Point not being satisfied.

• Stop radiological work authority shall be exercised in a justifiable and responsible manner.

• Once radiological work has been stopped, it shall not be resumed until proper radiological control has been reestablished.

• Resumption of radiological work requires the approval of the line manager responsible for the work and the Radiological Control Manager. Return to Chapter 3, Part 4 Table of Contents

Article 346 - Response to Abnormal Situations

1. The Site-Specific Radiological Control Manual or procedures for responding to abnormal situations shall establish requirements for alarm response procedures. Site alarm response procedures should address the general actions in items 2 through 6 below, modified as necessary to reflect specific facility conditions.

2. Response to a Continuous Air Monitor alarm should include the following actions:

3. Stop work activities
4. Immediately exit the area
5. Notify Radiological Control personnel.

• Response to increasing or unanticipated radiation levels, as identified by a supplemental dosimeter or Area Radiation Monitor Alarm, should include the following actions:

• Stop work activities
• Alert others
• Affected personnel immediately exit the area
• Notify Radiological Control personnel.

• Response to a criticality alarm should include the following actions:

• Immediately evacuate the area, without stopping to remove protective clothing or perform exit monitoring
• Report to designated assembly area.

• Response to a personnel contamination monitor alarm should include the following actions:

• Remain in the immediate area
• Notify Radiological Control personnel
• Take actions that may be available to minimize cross- contamination, such as putting a glove on a contaminated hand
• Take follow-up actions in accordance with Article 541.

• Response to a spill of radioactive material should include the following actions:

• Stop or secure the operation causing the spill
• Warn others in the area
• Isolate the spill area if possible
• Minimize individual exposure and contamination
• Secure unfiltered ventilation
• Notify Radiological Control personnel.

  For spills involving highly toxic chemicals, workers should immediately exit the area without attempting to stop or secure the spill. They should then promptly notify the Industrial Hygiene or Hazardous Material team and Radiological Control personnel. Return to Chapter 3, Part 4 Table of Contents

Article 347 - Controls for Benchtop Work, Laboratory Fume Hoods, Sample Stations and Gloveboxes

The following requirements are applicable to radiological work which has the potential to generate radioactive contamination in localized benchtop areas, laboratory fume hoods, sample stations and glovebox operations located in areas that are otherwise contamination free.

1. A Radiological Work Permit (RWP) should be issued to control radiological work in localized benchtop areas, laboratory fume hoods, sample sinks, and gloveboxes.

2. The following controls apply to localized benchtop and laboratory fume hood operations:

3. Protective clothing shall, at a minimum, include labcoats and gloves. Gloves should be secured at the wrist as necessary.
4. Shoecovers should be considered based on the potential for floor contamination.
5. Workers should periodically monitor their hands during work.
6. Upon completion of work or prior to leaving the area, workers shall monitor those areas of their body that are potentially contaminated. At a minimum, this includes hands, arms, and front portions of the body. Workers should perform a whole body frisk.

• The following controls apply to sample station operations:

• Protective clothing shall, at a minimum, include labcoats and gloves. Gloves should be secured at the wrist as necessary.
• Shoecovers should be considered based on the potential for floor contamination.
• If there is a potential for splashing or airborne radioactivity, such as when taking pressurized samples, additional controls such as rubber aprons, face shields, full PCs, or respiratory protection should be instituted.
• Workers should periodically monitor their hands during work.
• Upon completion of work or prior to leaving the area, workers shall monitor those areas of their body that are potentially contaminated. At a minimum, this includes hands, arms, and front portions of the body. Workers should perform a whole body frisk.

• The following controls apply to glovebox operations:

• Gloveboxes should be inspected for integrity and operability prior to use.
• Gloveboxes should be marked with or survey measurements should be posted to identify whole body and extremity dose rates.
• Protective clothing shall, at a minimum, include labcoats and gloves. Gloves should be secured at the wrist as necessary.
• Shoecovers should be considered based on the potential for floor contamination.
• Workers should periodically monitor their hands during work.
• Upon completion of work or prior to leaving the area, workers shall monitor those areas of their body that are potentially contaminated. At a minimum, this includes hands, arms, and feet. Workers should perform a whole body frisk. Return to Chapter 3, Part 4 Table of Contents

Article 348 - Controls for Hot Particles

Hot particles are small, discrete, highly radioactive particles capable of causing extremely high doses to a localized area in a short period of time. Hot particle contamination may be present or be generated when contaminated systems are opened or when operations such as machining, cutting or grinding are performed on highly radioactive materials.

1. The Site-Specific Radiological Control Manual should define hot particles, such as those capable of producing a shallow dose equivalent greater than 100 mrem in one hour, specific to facility operations and source terms.

2. Measures for controlling hot particles, as identified in items 3 through 7 of this Article, should be implemented under the following conditions:

3. Upon identification of hot particles
4. During new or nonroutine operations with a high potential for hot particles, based on previous history
5. Upon direction of the Radiological Control Organization.

• Areas or operations with the potential for hot particle contamination should be surveyed in accordance with Article 554.7.

• Contamination Area posting should be annotated to specifically identify the presence of hot particles.

• Access to hot particle areas should be controlled by a job- specific RWP. The following controls should be considered for inclusion on the RWP:

• Periodic personnel monitoring during the work activity, at a frequency based on the potential magnitude of skin exposure
• Additional Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing
• Direct Radiological Control coverage during work or assistance during protective clothing removal
• Use of sticky pads or multiple step-off pads.

• Personal Protective Equipment and Clothing used in hot particle areas should be segregated from other radiological protective equipment and clothing during laundering and surveyed prior to reuse.

• Response to hot particle skin contamination of personnel should include the following:

• Immediate removal and retention of the hot particle for subsequent analysis
• Analysis of the particle
• Assessment of worker dose
• Evaluation of work control adequacy.
  
  Return to Chapter 3, Part 4 Table of Contents