[ RadSafe ] radiography incident -Unpardonable carelessness

[Ted de Castro]

I used the Double Edged Sword too, I even went through a considerable 
effort to get a copy with permission to copy and distribute it as much 
as I wanted - HOWEVER since I greatly distrust the reliability of 
administrative safety measures such as training - I also failsafe 
interlock enclosed and added alarming area monitors to all 25 of our 
analytical x-ray machines.  THAT not only put an end to accidents for 
the past nearly 20 years!!!!  But also in that period there has not been 
a "near miss" either.  THAT sure beats the "1 incident per 100 unit 
years" that was at one time considered the accepted probability of 
occurrence.  FURTHERMORE - never forget that legally x-ray machines come 
under the "Ultra Hazardous Equipment" provision of the law   - a 
provision dating back to common law - and that means that NO MATTER WHAT 
safety provisions are in place --- if there is an accident - the 
employer IS liable.  Therefore I preferred SOLID protection to protect 
my employer!

I also find the pressures of research and deadlines vs depending on 
training for safety are essentially a built in conflict of interest.  
Just read the history of x-ray accidents and this will become 
immediately obvious.

 From another perspective - I consider a x-ray burn a way way too high a 
price to pay for a momentary omission of what was taught in training - 
regardless if the reason was haste, carelessness or and honest error.

I am SURE that more hardware measures can be employed in the radiography 
industry.  History has proven that the current state of the art isn't 
working.

I'd say that I was lucky to have an employer that supported my hardware 
control efforts - HOWEVER - if it weren't for a very serious x-ray 
accident - things never would have changed.  And of course - now that I 
am retired ---- I don't have to fight the constant fight to keep it all 
in place.

On 4/1/2012 6:58 PM, William Lipton wrote:
> I've used the graphic video, "The Double Edged Sword," very effectively to
> motivate X-ray diffraction users to follow safety procedures.  This shows a
> case study of a user who screwed up.  It ends with one of his children
> asking when his finger will grow back!
>
> Bill Lipton
> It's not about dose, it's about trust.
>   On Apr 1, 2012 9:09 PM, "Dahlskog, Leif"<Leif.Dahlskog at health.wa.gov.au>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear Parthasarathy
>>
>> I agree with you about pictures of burns etc.  In our jurisdiction we
>> require the ind. rad. assistants (trainee) to undergo a basic radiation
>> safety exam.  I used to administer the exam some years ago.  After the
>> exam, I'd show the examinee a dummy pigtail (source holder) as this
>> would hopefully be the only time they'd ever see one, but if they did in
>> future they'd recognise what it was.  I would also show them some
>> graphic pictures of burns caused by ind. rad. accidents.  If they choose
>> to work in this industry they must recognise the potential for serious
>> injury and death and their responsibilities to safety for colleagues and
>> the public.  The IAEA accident reports are very useful for this.
>> Particularly 'The Radiological Accident in Yanango' which can be found
>> in acrobat pdf format on the IAEA website.
>>
>> The U.S.N.R.C. had a video titled "Taking Control: Safe Procedure for
>> Industrial Radiography" which although used the wrong units ( :-} -
>> that's a smiley - ie humour intented for those challenged on a Monday
>> morning), was about the best I'd seen covering basic safety for
>> industrial radiographers. It was in VHS-NTSC format. I had it converted
>> to PAL format and with USNRC's permission, distributed copies to all the
>> industrial radiography companies in our jurisdiction.  An update of the
>> video with Bq and Sv in DVD format would be great but I am not aware if
>> it is even available any longer.
>>
>> regards
>>
>> Leif Dahlskog
>> Senior Health Physicist
>> Radiation Health Branch
>>
>> Grace Vaughan House, 227 Stubbs Terrace, Shenton Park WA 6009
>> AUSTRALIA
>>
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