Radiation Protection - Procedures for accidents and spillages
All radiation workers are expected to be familiar with the emergency procedures appropriate to their work area, however the following points should be noted.
All accidents and spillages must be reported to the Radiation Protection Officer, Jim Scott (room B3-34), or Jim Reilly or Helen Arthur immediately. The area of spillage must be isolated and clearly delineated with radiation warning tape. If 32P or 125I is involved, the immediate area must be cleared of personnel. Contaminated clothing should be removed where possible and sealed in a polythene bag. The contaminated area should be decontaminated as soon as possible nder the supervision of the Radiation Protection Officer. Every precaution should be taken to prevent the spread of radioactivity from the spillage area.
Personal contamination: The use of protective clothing, gloves and screens should make it unlikely that a worker becomes contaminated on their skin, or ingests or inhales radioactive materials. Contaminated skin should be washed thoroughly with soap and water, but care must be taken not to break the skin. A 0.1M solution of sodium phosphate may aid decontamination of radioactive nucleotides from skin surfaces. Any contamination of the eye should be rinsed with plentiful supplies of water, using the showerheads located at sinks in many laboratories. Cases of suspected ingestion or inhalation should be notified to the local RPS. The recommended treatment in most cases would be to drink large quantities of water to enhance the rate of excretion.
Fire: Normal actions in the case of fire should be followed. The location of the Dispensary is known to the Fire Brigade, who will act accordingly.