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Re: chirper



No matter what scenario is developed, or what equipment is obtained, it has weaknesses and costs.  In my opinion, the best-spent money is for dependable, consciencious workers.  If management does their job to develop and maintain a good program with good working conditions, you only need attentive employees that have appropriate training.  That is were I would spend my money.

Over the years, I have seen many problems thwarted by attentive staff.  Good staff will help you select equipment appropriate for your facility (and possibly at reduced cost). Good equipment enhances the worker, but the best equipment in the world will not stop all incidents when the users are inattentive or poorly trained.  Equipment that is too high-tech and costly sometimes causes workers to lose their "ownership" of a job, thus decreasing their effectiveness.

Kevin Wright, NRRPT

>From: Ted de Castro
>Reply-To: Ted de Castro
>To: "radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu"
>Subject: Re: chirper
>Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 06:33:51 -0700
>
>Respectfully - I think you have it backwards. We are not looking for a
>"blue light special" - we are looking for a cost effective device that
>does what we need for safety and not a lot of what we don't need - or
>can do without if it means affording fewer of these devices. Being cost
>effective is no crime!
>
>In any event - in your example below - the person works in the 20 mR/hr
>field for 25 minutes and never has any indication at all that he was in
>any sort of field at all. IF he had been there for 30 minutes - or
>moved closer to hit the 30 mR/hr alarm point THEN - AFTER having gotten
>to those levels he would know. This says working in 20 mR/hr for 25
>minutes and getting 8.3 mR is OK - that is NOT ALARA.
>
>The chirper on the other hand would let him know he is in a field the
>WHOLE time he is in the field BEFORE he gets to 10 mR or 30 mR/hr. This
>gives him the opportunity to adjust his position or time to lessen the
>chirp rate or total accumulated exposure - THIS is ALARA.
>
>I work in an area where waiting until 10 mR is too late. In all cases
>there are near background areas very close by and no NEED to work in a
>field of even a few mR/hr - IFF you know the field is there. Since
>these fields are transitory - knowing they are there as SOON as they are
>encountered is the key to ALARA.
>
>William V Lipton wrote:
> >
> > I'll need some help in understanding your statement that, "The
> > alarming device is after the fact. The chirper is an ongoing monitor
> > that is on the radiographer..."
> >
> > If the dose rate from the shielded source is 20 mR/hr, and I set the
> > alarming ratemeter to alarm on 30 mR/hr OR 10 mR integrated dose, it
> > seems that, assuming the ratemeter is working and worn properly and
> > the person responds properly to the alarm, this WILL prevent an
> > overexposure. It will also tell me if the radiographer is not
> > practicing ALARA in handling the source, even if he does not receive
> > an overexposure.
> >
> > Chirpers are ok; alarming ratemeters are : (1) a lot better, and (2)
> > required by the NRC.
> >
> > So let's stop looking for the Blue Light Special on chirpers, and talk
> > about how we can get the regulators and licensees to take radiography
> > hp seriously.
> >
> > The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
> > It's not about dose, it's about trust.
> > Curies forever.
> >
> > Bill Lipton
> > liptonw@dteenergy.com
> >
> >
> > AndrewsJP@AOL.COM wrote:
> >
> > > I...
> > >
> > > All these devices will not do what a chirper will do, and that is
> > > prevent an overexposure. The alarming device is after the fact.
> > > The chirper is an ongoing monitor that is on the radiographer.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > > John Andrews
> > > Knoxville, Tennessee
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