give me your opinion

["Archer, Joe" <archerj@wipp.carlsbad.nm.us>]

This is the scenario. A Pu-239 waste canister (Average content 16 grams,
Max content 80 grams) burst open and knocks out a worker nearby. One
viewpoint is that a person should run to the workers side without
worrying about the potential airborne. A second viewpoint is that
respirators should be located in the immediate vicinity of the work area
and the attending person should take the 20-30 seconds required to don a
respirator before attending to the injured party. The crux of the issue
seems to be the weighted risk to the injured person of taking 30 seconds
to get to the person versus the potential risk to the attending person.
The first viewpoint assumes a 30 second delay is a greater risk to a
person in need of CPR versus the risk of diving into the potential plume
of a freshly burst container. The second viewpoint argues the need to
weigh both risks and concludes that the potential airborne is a greater
risk than a 30 second delay in attending to the injured party. 

So what viewpoint do you side with, one or two.

Thanx,
Joe
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