RE: Treatment of Contaminated Personnel

["Edwards, Richard W" <Richard.Edwards@PSS.Boeing.com>]

The original question and some of the responses mirror an issue we have faced. Presented with an unknown situation, hazardous materials emergency responders are taught to gather information prior to entering an accident scene to take action. Our solution to the problem was to provide them, up front, with assessments of the risks to an unprotected emergency responder from radiation sources in a given area and with the training to understand those assessments. 

The following is a synopsis of a presentation given by two members of our organization at a midyear HPS topical meeting a few years ago:

	We evaluate the worst case radiological conditions in three categories of exposure: exposures to radioactive contamination, external exposures to radioactive materials and exposures to radiation generating equipment. Each of these categories is rated on a 0 to 4 scale, each level representing a ten fold increase in dose to the unprotected responder. The compiled assessment is posted at the entrance to the affected area or, in certain cases, at the affected area in the form of a sign loosely based on the NFPA fire diamond.

	Response recommendations are based on the assessed rating for each area and may be supplemented with additional instructions if required.

	Responders are trained to understand the posting and ratings for these potential risks and the relative risks of both acute and long-term effects of exposures at the postulated levels to other hazards they already face. Documentation is provided to the various response teams to supplement this training and provide a means for communicating additional instructions for each area.

	We supplement this with around-the-clock technical assistance/emergency response team available through our internal fire and security dispatcher. We rely on alphanumeric pagers to activate the team and initiate a response.

The bottom line: When our emergency response staff understand that the dose they fear is less than that received in a chest x-ray, they are much more likely to respond in an appropriate manner...particularly when they know that we will tell them where the real danger zones are.

Rick Edwards, Analyst
The Boeing Company
richard.w.edwards@boeing.com


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