[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: OSHA & Radiation (was: Badges for surgery)
It's a good idea for a facility to provide training to local emergency response
organizations, or, as a minimum, give them a tour of the facility.
The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
It's not about dose, it's about trust.
Curies forever.
Bill Lipton
liptonw@dteenergy.com
"Bradt, Clayton" wrote:
> All NYS Labor Dept. licensees are required to notify the local police and
> fire departments of the presence of rad material at their facility, and
> inform them of any special emergency procedures, contact information, etc.
> as necessary. There is even a special hazardous materials report form that
> must be submitted to the fire department as well. It is up to the local
> responding agencies to make use of the information they are given to plan
> their response to these facilities. This is where the breakdown occurs.
> They take the information and file it (maybe) and never follow up on it. If
> the EMTs who responded to the electrocution incident had just read the
> Emergency Response Guidebook, they would have known there was no reason to
> balk at entering this facility. But even that level of training was
> lacking.
>
> Clayton J. Bradt, CHP
> Principal Radiophysicist
> NYS Dept. of Labor
> Radiological Health Unit
> voice: (518) 457-1202
> fax: (518) 485-7406
> e-mail: Clayton.Bradt@labor.state.ny.us
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: William V Lipton [mailto:liptonw@dteenergy.com]
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 11:02 AM
> > To: Bradt, Clayton
> > Cc: Radsafe-Digest (E-mail); 'crispy_bird@YAHOO.COM'
> > Subject: Re: OSHA & Radiation (was: Badges for surgery)
> >
> >
> > This incident shows the importance of emergency planning.
> > Facilities which may
> > require emergency response personnel to enter a posted area
> > should communicate
> > with those organizations who would respond to an emergency
> > regarding the meaning
> > of the posting, the expected hazards, and the appropriate
> > protective actions.
> > As you said, this can be a matter of life and death.
> >
> > It is important to train medical personnel regarding the rule
> > that potential
> > contamination should NEVER interfere with lifesaving medical
> > procedures. (I had
> > a wakeup call on this, back in 1983. We did not yet have
> > fuel on site, but were
> > refining our emergency plan. The site nurse told me that
> > should would not
> > attend to an accident victim until she was sure that he was
> > not contaminated!
> > We quickly corrected that misunderstanding.)
> >
> > The importance of training is illustrated by a medical drill,
> > at another nuclear
> > power plant, where I played a victim. The scenario had 2
> > victims: me - heavily
> > contaminated, only slightly hurt, other victim - slight
> > contamination, seriously
> > injured. I was also instructed to make a lot of noise. (A
> > scene was recorded
> > on the video of the Nuclear Shift Supervisor telling me to
> > "Shut the **** up.")
> > The responders did a good job, although, in retrospect, I
> > received too much
> > attention and the seriously injured victim not enough. The
> > ambulance drivers
> > took the whole thing a little too seriously. I was scared,
> > for real, when they
> > drove the ambulance at high speed through a blizzard.
> >
> > Nuclear power plant emergency plans generally require
> > training for offsite
> > medical responders. It's a good idea for other facilities.
> >
> > The opinions expressed are strictly mine.
> > It's not about dose, it's about trust.
> > Curies forever.
> >
> > Bill Lipton
> > liptonw@dteenergy.com
> >
> > "Bradt, Clayton" wrote:
> >
> > > John Jacobus wrote:
> > >
> > > "And when was the last (or first) time OSHA inspected a
> > > hospital? We had an overexposure at our cyclotron
> > > facility, and OSHA did not respond even when we
> > > contacted them. We are a federal agency, and do not
> > > come under state regulations. I assume a state agency
> > > would have been interested."
> > >
> > > We had a near electrocution at a cyclotron facility not too
> > long ago. OSHA
> > > investigated that incident, but radiation exposure wasn't
> > an issue. OSHA
> > > has very few people with any radiation background. This of
> > course does not
> > > prevent them from claiming that they regulate in the area
> > of radiation
> > > hazards from x-ray and non-AEA materials. They want the
> > turf but won't
> > > invest in the personnel to do the job.
> > >
> > > With regard to the electrocution incident: We have had a
> > running battle with
> > > local code enforcement people in some municipalities who
> > insist on requiring
> > > posting on the outside of all buildings where radioactive
> > materials are
> > > stored/used - regardless of the form or quantities. (For
> > the protection of
> > > first responders, they claim.) The cyclotron facility was
> > located in one
> > > such municipality, and had a radiation sign on the outside
> > of the building.
> > > When the EMTs arrived, they at first refused to enter
> > because of the sign.
> > > Meanwhile the victim was unconscious on the floor and the
> > pharmacist was
> > > yelling and cursing at the EMTs to get them to come in to
> > treat him. They
> > > finally overcame their radiophobia and the individual was
> > transported to
> > > hospital. The victim recovered but had some severe burns.
> > Here again we
> > > have an agency (code enforcement this time) guarding turf
> > in an area in
> > > which they have no expertise. This time with near fatal
> > consequences.
> > >
> > > I'm sure there is a lesson here for all of us......but I at
> > the moment I
> > > just can't think of what it is.
> > >
> > > Clayton J. Bradt, CHP
> > > Principal Radiophysicist
> > > NYS Dept. of Labor
> > > Radiological Health Unit
> > > voice: (518) 457-1202
> > > fax: (518) 485-7406
> > > e-mail: Clayton.Bradt@labor.state.ny.us
> > >
> > >
> > **************************************************************
> > **********
> > > You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To
> > > unsubscribe, send an e-mail to
> > Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the
> > > text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of
> > the e-mail,
> > > with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at
> > > http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/
> >
************************************************************************
You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu Put the
text "unsubscribe radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail,
with no subject line. You can view the Radsafe archives at
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/