RE: Non-rad issues in rad labs

[Eric Bickel <BBRE069@barms036.b-r.com>]

Hello Paul-- long time no see.  Hope that all is well with you.

RE:  HP involvement with nonRad problems encountered during Rad activities

Have had the experience of working in both types of programs.  That is, in 
one program, the Rad folks are responsible for identifying, correcting or 
reporting all safety concerns encountered and in the other, they deal only 
with Rad concerns.  In the first program, the corporate doctrine was that 
all employees were responsible for safety and they truly implemented that 
doctrine.  (The RPM reported to the same Safety VP as the separate 
organization for Safety Programs.)  The safety concerns were reported to the 
facility line management for correction and to the Safety program 
organization for tracking, trending, reporting, and oversight.  This system, 
to me was much preferable.

Experience with the type of organization that separated Rad from Safety has 
been less positive due in part to a lack of corporate commitment that was 
felt to the lowest levels of the organization.  The thought of anyone not 
taking action on an apparent safety concern (be it reporting it to the 
facility management, supervisor, or correcting it personally) because "it is 
not my job" is very disconcerting.   In the radsafety organizations that I 
have had the opportunity to control, it was always ( and always will be) 
that if an individual finds a safety concern, it is the responsibility of 
that individual to correct it immediately if possible or report it to the 
individual with the authority and responsibility to correct the concern. 
 The discovering individual cannot be allowed to ignore a safety concern: 
they must take actions to correct it.

Eric Bickel
Manager, Department of Radiological and Safety Services
Brown and Root Environmental, Aiken SC
bbre069@barms036.b-r.com
Opinions expressed are just that --  opinions.  They do not represent B&RE 
positions or policies.
 ----------
From: radsafe
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Non-rad issues in rad labs
Date: Wednesday, December 4, 1996 12:12PM

Over the years I seen differing views on how HPs handle non-radiological
safety problems they encounter in radiological labs.  At one institution I
found that the rad safety staff were looking only for radiation safety
issues.  At another location the radiation safety staff were taking a more
holistic approach and were reporting non-rad issues they found (such as a
blocked safety shower or an unguarded pulley on a vacuum pump).

I am asking for your help. I would like to know:

1  What expectation does your facility have for rad safety staff to look
for non-rad safety issues?

2  How are non-rad safety issues found by rad safety staff "reported" or
"documented?"

3  Who receives the report (RSO, "safety," EH&S, the user, the department,
etc.)?

You can respond on radsafe or to my e-mail. I will summarize and post the
summary on radsafe.

Thank you for your help in this developing issue of radiation safety staff
expectations and training.


Paul Lavely
RSO - UC Berkeley
(510) 643-7976 Voice
(510) 643-9495 Fax
lavelp@uclink2.berkeley.edu