Re: Badging Workers

[Leo Bobek <bobek@wpi.edu>]

On Mon, 19 Sep 1994, Ed Wilds wrote:

>    The labs are considered unrestricted.  I have a feeling that the NRC wants
> us to make our laboratories restricted areas.  At past inspections they have
> stated that this was their preference.  My impression of what he meant by
> 2mrem/hr was to maintain a dose less that 2mrem in any one hour which would
> translate into an average dose rate of 2mrem/hr for any full hour period.
> I have not received my deficiency letter yet so I don't know if this got
> past his supervisor.  My question was basically, what are other institutions
> doing to demonstrate compliance?

Well, you proved my point.  The regulator is a pea brain.  The 2mr in any 
one hour was meant for those circumstances where if a source were being 
used for a finite period of time (ie., radiography, calibrators, etc.) 
the dose to a member of the public in an unrestricted area would not 
exceed 2mr in any one hour while the source was in use.  (Yes, you can 
dose average over time if the dose rate is < 5mr/hr but > 2mr/hr.  
However, allowing let's say 1.5 mr/hr dose rate will make you exceed the 
100 mr/yr limit.  If your regulator really wants to limit you to a dose rate 
for members of the public,then what he means to do is limit you to 0.011 mr/hr
(100mr/yr / 365 days/yr / 24hrs/day)!!!  In which case you can politely tell 
him to take a leap since the reg. does not state that (yet).  

I am somewhat confused as to why your researchers are allowed to work with 
RAM in unrestricted areas.  However, you may try using an electronic 
integrating dosimeter along with some crazy administrative procedure that 
requires the researcher using radioactive material to record dose rates at 
30 cm from the source and requires him/her to calculate and record the total 
time allowed to work without exceeding the 2mr in any one hour limit.  The 
dosimeter reading would then be recorded along with start-stop times.  

You're better off restricting the lab.