RADIATION
SAFETY TRAINING MANUAL
CHAPTER 10
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
CHAPTER
10 Table Of Contents
A. NOTIFICATION OF THE
RADIATION SAFETY OFFICE
B. MANAGEMENT OF
RADIATION INCIDENTS
C. PERSONNEL CONTAMINATION
D. EMERGENCY
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
E. INJURY AND
CONTAMINATION
1. INGESTION
2. CONTAMINATED
WOUNDS
3. SKIN
CONTAMINATION
4. HAND WASHING
METHOD
An important
aspect of radiation safety is being prepared for
the unexpected. The following steps are to be
taken should an accident occur despite
precautionary measures. The information presented
in Chapter 6 of the University of California, San
Francisco (UCSF) Radiation Safety Manual should
be completely reviewed.
A. NOTIFICATION OF THE
RADIATION SAFETY OFFICE
Notify the
Radiation Safety Office as soon as possible of
any accident involving ionizing radiation. This
includes, but is not limited to, accidental
direct radiation exposure, extensive
contamination of floors and work surfaces, or
contamination of laboratory personnel. If it is
anticipated that a procedure may result in
contamination or other hazard, prior approval
from the Radiation Safety Office is required.
B. MANAGEMENT OF
RADIATION INCIDENTS
Major area
contamination involving potential health hazard:
- 1.
In the event of spread, or a suspected
spread, of radioactive contamination over
a significant portion of a room or larger
area:
-
- a.
Vacate the area, leaving behind
clothing and other articles which
may be contaminated.
- b.
Keep all persons out of the area,
except for monitoring and rescue
teams.
- c.
Call the Radiation Safety Office
immediately.
- d.
Do not attempt decontamination
except as expressly directed by
the Radiation Safety Office.
- 2.
Minor contamination (uCi) amounts
involving no immediate health hazard:
-
- a.
Notify everyone in the room and
area at once.
- b.
Monitor personnel before they
leave and then change clothes or
lab coat, as necessary.
- c.
Put on disposable gloves to
prevent contamination of your
hands. Wash your hands first if
they are contaminated --
following the UCSF Radiation
Safety Manual procedures for
decontamination of the hands and
skin.
- d.
Survey, mark, or block off the
contaminated area with warning
signs or labels.
- e.
Use absorbent paper or absorbent
material on the spill to limit
the spread of contamination.
- f.
Notify the Radiation Safety
Office of the accident as soon as
possible. Call 476-1300 or
9-911.
- g.
Start decontamination procedures
as soon as possible Normal
cleaning agents, or commercial
decontamination agents should be
adequate. Put on shoe covers and
begin procedures by using paper
towels with the decontamination
agent. Scrub from the outermost
edges of the contaminated areas
and work inward, reducing the
area that is contaminated.
- h.
Put all contaminated objects and
cleaning materials into
containers to prevent spread of
contamination.
- i.
In the case of large spills,
block off the area. Assign a
person equipped with a survey
meter and wipe test the materials
to help prevent the accidental
spread of contamination.
- j.
Decontaminate the area to
background count rates. There
should be no removable
contamination on the surface
after decontamination.
- k.
Report the accident to the
Principal Investigator,
Laboratory Supervisor, and the
Radiation Safety Officer.
C. PERSONNEL
CONTAMINATION
In the event that
persons are contaminated as a result of a
contamination incident:
- 1.
Administer first aid measures, as
necessary.
-
- 2.
Remove the person from the contaminated
area and hold at a transfer point.
-
- 3.
Report the incident immediately to the
Radiation Safety Office.
-
- 4.
Flush the contaminated skin area with
water and soap using care not to abrade
the skin.
-
- 5.
Refer suspected internal contamination
immediately to the Radiation Safety
Office.
-
- 6.
Personnel are not to leave UCSF property
for the purpose of decontaminating
themselves unless specifically advised to
do so by the Radiation Safety Office.
-
Note: If
applicable, have a survey meter available to
monitor the area, clothing, shoes, etc. and to
prevent the spread of contamination.
D. EMERGENCY
TELEPHONE NUMBERS
The Office of
Environmental Health and Safety Radiation Safety
Office 24 hour Emergency Response number is:
- 206-8111 at
San Francisco General Hospital only
- 9-911 at
all other locations.
E. INJURY AND
CONTAMINATION
- 1. INGESTION
-
- Treat
ingestion of radioactive material like
any other acute poisoning. Induce
vomiting rapidly by swallowing large
volumes of water and stimulate the throat
with the fingers. Mild emetics (an agent
that induces vomiting) may be added to
the water. Repeat this once or twice. The
Radiation Safety Officer must be notified
immediately after the ingestion.
-
- 2. CONTAMINATED
WOUNDS
-
- Any wounds
from radioactive contaminated glassware,
instruments, or needles should be treated
immediately. Wash the injured area under
a strong stream of water. (See procedures
described in Sections 3 and 4 below.)
-
- 3. SKIN
CONTAMINATION
-
- The best
method of decontamination is thorough
washing with soap and water (See washing
procedures described in this Section and
Section 4 below.), unless the
contamination is very localized. For
localized decontamination, swabbing of a
masked area is preferable, as this
prevents the spreading of the
contamination.
- If the nature
of the contaminant is known, a suitable
reagent may be used to immerse the skin,
followed by washing. Detergents and
wetting agents are also useful. Organic
solvents must not be used as they may
increase skin penetration.
-
- 4. HAND WASHING
METHOD
-
- a.
Wash for 2 or 3 minutes under
tepid water, using a mild and
pure soap. Create a lather using
light scrubbing, to avoid eroding
the skin and causing further
penetration. Pay attention to the
areas between fingers and under
nails and to the outer edges of
the hands, which are often
neglected. Rinse thoroughly and
monitor.
-
- b.
If monitoring still reveals
contamination, rinse again using
a soft brush to create a lather.
Rinse and lather repeatedly.
-
- c.
Apply lanolin or hand cream to
prevent chapping.
-
- If
contamination is still evident, the above
procedures may be used in the order
presented. Contact the Radiation Safety
Officer.
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