RE: Internal Licensing

[Herrold@UWYO.EDU (Jim F. Herrold)]

Sue Dupre wrote:

*We are considering alternatives to our current method of inter-
nally licensing University principal investigators to use radioisotopes....

Sue:

We have a standard form on which a Principal Investigator applies to use 
radioactive materials at the University of Wyoming.  They must complete one 
form for each radioisotope they will use, specifying the procedures and 
quantities they are proposing. The form has gotten quite lengthy, with all 
the new information we need nowadays to identify potential problems (mixed 
wastes, transportation, SECURITY) The lab itself must also be properly laid 
out and approved, and the training of all potential authorized personnel 
must be documented. The applications are reviewed and  temporarily approved 
by the RSO, but final approval must be made by the Radiation Safety 
Committee.

 The maximum duration for each application is three years.  For over 20 
years we have just allowed them to ask for renewal (if no changes were made) 
by letter. Any amendments were attached to the old application. As you can 
imagine, some of their files became a conglomerate mess. This year, with the 
blessing of the Committee, I asked all Principal Users who hadn't applied 
within the last three years to fill out a brand new application.  OH YOU CAN 
JUST HEAR THE GNASHING OF TEETH! This way I hope to not only clean up my 
files, but to clear out some of the dead wood (the researchers who keep 
their applications alive  - just in case).

You also wrote:

*On a related subject, have any of you established a classification system 
for
your labs, based on type of isotope, amounts used, frequency of use?

When we renewed our license in 1992 we adopted such a system. It was kind of 
a merger of three recommendations:

One was from the International Labor Office Guidelines for the Radiation 
Protection of Workers in Industry (Ionizing Radiations) Occupational Safety 
and Health Series 62, 1989. The tables can be found in the Health Physics 
Handbook, Revised Edition, 1992 (page 399-402). This system classifies the 
design of  labs, based on radiotoxicity, quantity used and potential use.

The second was from the old ICRP Committee V report, 1965, which we had been 
using for years to classify labs and determine survey frequencies.

The third, also found in the Health Physics Handbook, was from NRC Reg Guide 
8.21 for acceptable frequency of surveys.

The merger of these three recommendations was not always easy, as they did 
not always agree. Where there was differences, I adopted the conservative 
approach. The idea was to be able to set up a system to track isotope 
inventories and determine if users are complying in their survey 
frequencies. It has not been as easy as it sounded. If anyone out there has 
successfully developed such a system, I would be interested to hear about 
it.

Jim Herrold, RSO
University of Wyoming
herrold@uwyo.edu