Dalhousie University Radiation Safety Office

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Dalhousie UniversityRadiation Safety Office

• Refresher Training
• 2008

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Principal Investigator Responsibilities

• It is the responsibility of the P.I. to ensure
  that all workers in their research group who will
  be handling nuclear substances are registered
  with the Radiation Safety Office and have
  completed required radiation safety training.
  This would include not only full time staff but
  also summer students, honors students, visiting
  scientists etc.,
• Workers within the research group who carry out
  their duties in a registered radiation lab must
  receive instruction relating to the radiation
  hazards even if they will not be handling nuclear
  substances themselves.

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Canadian Regulations

• The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC)
  regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials
  to protect health, safety and the environment and
  to respect Canadas international commitments on
  the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
• http//www.cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca

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Dalhousie UniversityRadiation Safety Program
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Radiation Safety Committee

• Dr. Stan Cameron Chemistry
• Dr. A. Chatt SLOWPOKE
• Dr. R. Dunlap Physics
• Prof. K. Hall - Physics
• Dr. K. Hewitt Physics
• Dr. D. Hoskin (Chair) Pathology
• Raymond Ilson, Director EHS
• P. Jones (Secretary) RSO
• Ms. K. Murphy Pharmacology
• Dr. N. Ridgway ARC

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Environmental Health Safety Staff

• EHS Staff ( left right)
• Raymond Ilson, Director
• Pauline Jones, RSO/Biosafety Co-ordinator
• Stephen Ellis, Safety Officer
• Janice Taylor-McIntyre, Admin. Assistant
• Logan Astle, Student

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Instructions

• Refresher training is intended for those
  nuclear substance workers who have previously
  attended the Radiation Safety Training course
  prior to May 2006. The refresher training module
  is not intended to substitute for the full day
  training session required of all new or
  previously untrained workers. Refresher training
  must be documented by submitting the required
  form and quiz found in the Forms section of the
  EHS web site at http//www.dal.ca/safety

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An Overview of Bill C-45

• The Government of Canada, through the
  Department of Justice, should institute a study
  of the accountability of corporate executives and
  directors for the wrongful or negligent acts of
  the corporation and should introduce in the
  Parliament of Canada such amendments to
  legislation as are necessary to ensure that
  corporate executives and directors are held
  properly accountable for workplace safety.
• Report of the Westray Mine Public Inquiry,
  Recommentation 73

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New Legal Duty to Prevent Harm

• New section 217.1 of the Criminal Code creates a
  legal duty not only in relation to work but to
  all tasks
• Everyone who undertakes, or has the authority,
  to direct how another person does work or
  performs a task is under a legal duty to take
  reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm to that
  person, or any other person, arising from that
  work or task.

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Application of Legal Duty

• Applies to all activities of an organization, not
  just employment-related tasks
• Duty is imposed upon individuals who have control
  and direction over others (or authority to do so)
  in the performance of a task
• Duty is owed to people performing the task and
  those who may be affected by the task (i.e. the
  public)

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Consequences for individuals

• Personally exposed to charge of criminal
  negligence causing death or bodily harm where
• Contravene the new duty in failing to take
  reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm
• Demonstrate a wanton or reckless disregard for
  the lives or safety of others
• Penalty on Conviction
• 10 years in prison in the case of injury
• Life imprisonment in the event of death

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Whats right and whats wrong?

• I frequently get asked about what is permissible
  or not permissible in nuclear substance
  laboratories.

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Laboratory Poster
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Red Coded Laboratories

• Nuclear substance laboratories will be designated
  as a red coded lab. As such, all permanent
  personnel working in the lab must be on the list
  of approved workers. Anyone not on an approved
  worker list must be supervised in the area at all
  times otherwise entry is restricted.
• This includes custodial and Facilities Management
  staff as well.
• Lab door must be locked when area is unoccupied

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Worker responsibilities

• Ensure that staff are aware of their
  responsibilities and obligations as radiation
  workers. In this case the lab manager is ensuring
  that the worker understands the requirement to
  declare pregnancy

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Food and drink consumption ?

• Under no circumstances can food or drink be
  consumed in a permitted lab. Though the cups are
  being tossed as the lab is entered, from an
  inspectors perspective any food container would
  be perceived as evidence that food or drink had
  been consumed in the lab.

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Wear required PPE while working with nuclear
substances

• Here are two lab workers prepared to work with a
  nuclear substance, who are equipped with proper
  personal protective equipment (PPE). Note the
  gloves, lab coat (with sleeves not rolled up),
  and dosimeter. If the operation involved a high
  energy ß emitter, eye protection would be
  required as well.

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Identify work areas

• Clearly identify work areas used for working with
  nuclear substances
• Cover work areas with absorbent liners

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Working with volatiles, powders etc.,

• Ensure that any work involving nuclear substances
  that could create an airborne hazard be confined
  to a fume hood

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Receiving shipments

• Follow proper receipt procedures for receiving
  nuclear substance shipments
• Refer to CNSCs poster Guidelines for Handling
  Packages Containing Nuclear Substances
• Have you been certified to receive shipments of
  nuclear substances?

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Maintain required records

• Inventory (cradle to grave)
• Daily direct monitoring results
• Weekly wipe test results
• Leak test records done performed on sealed
  sources
• Incident reports
• Personal exposure records

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Emergency response

• Have a spill response kit available
• Have spill response training
• Know who to call in the event of an emergency
  RSO (2055) during normal working hours, Security
  (4109) after hours

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Lock it up !!

• All nuclear substances must be secure against
  unauthorized removal. Ensure that stock solutions
  are locked away whenever the lab is unoccupied by
  an authorized worker.

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What is not acceptable laboratory attire

• Here is a lab worker at a rad bench who is in
  violation of lab rules for working in a rad
  lab. Note she is not wearing a lab coat, gloves
  and has open toed shoes.

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Frivolous use of signage

• Playing a joke on a fellow worker by applying
  radioactive tape to the back of the lab coat.
• Labeling something as radioactive when its not.
  This is where I keep my stash of chocolate in
  my office. No one will take it for sure.

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Whats wrong?

• Over the next few slides we show some things that
  are unsafe and could also lead to the Compliance
  Enforcement Policy being activated

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Whats wrong here?
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Whats wrong?
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Whats wrong here?
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Whats wrong here?
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Frequently asked questions

• So, I have to work late tonight can I have a
  friend drop by to visit?
• With the approval of your supervisor you could
  have a friend drop by provided that any unsecured
  nuclear substance is under constant supervision.

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Is it okay to eat in my office?

• Food and drink is permitted in adjacent offices
  provided the area is separated from the
  laboratory by walls and a door.

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How much power does the CNSC have

• The CNSC has the power to cease operations.
• The CNSC has revoked the licences of two health
  care facilities and two industrial operations
  within the last 10 years
• Sections 48 and 51 of the Nuclear Safety and
  Control Act outlines a list of offences and
  punishment. If a person or persons is found
  guilty of an indictable offence that person may
  be liable for a fine not exceeding 1,000,000 or
  imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years
  or both.