REHS Radioactive Emergency Procedures

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Emergency Procedures

Incidents may occur during the use of radioactive materials, such as spills, contamination of the worker or work area and accidental release into the air. When an incident occurs, the worker must first make a judgment as to whether the incident is a minor or major incident. The chart below will help you to make the determination as to a minor or major incident. When in doubt, call REHS. There are no penalties for reporting an incident or requesting assistance.

Notifications
The proper response to an emergency depends upon a thorough understanding of the magnitude of risks, priorities for action and the application of common sense. When calling REHS or the police to report a spill, the following information should be provided:

Location of incident
Authoree
Name and telephone number of person reporting
Persons contaminated or exposed, estimate of amount on skin
Radionuclide involved
Amount of radioactivity
Volume of released material
What steps have been taken so far?

In the event of a spill or emergency during normal business hours (Mon - Fri 8 am to 4:30 pm), REHS should be contacted at 732-445-2550.

After business hours, the Campus Police should be contacted at:

911 or 6-911 in Piscataway / New Brunswick
5111 in Newark, or
6111 in Camden

Basic Procedures
When radioactive material is in an unwanted or unplanned location, it is called contamination. This may be on floors, equipment, work areas, people or areas outside the authorized laboratory. Fortunately, most radioactive contamination is easy to clean to background levels in a reasonable amount of time and at a reasonable cost. Concentrated liquid decontaminating agents are available from most scientific suppliers. Other foam cleaning products, such as bathroom or kitchen cleaners, are just as effective at a much lower cost. Many other agents will work to clean radioactive contamination that has been resistant to other cleaners.

Emergency Procedures for Radiation Incidents

Minor Incident	Laboratory Guidelines:
< 100 uCi of Radioactive Material (RAM) No personal contamination Localized contamination No spread of RAM outside licensed areas Proper tools and knowledge available for clean up	Stop source of the spill Warn other personnel Survey and mark the affected areas Minimize exposures Notify Authoree or designee Begin cleanup If area cannot be cleaned, notify REHS at (732) 445-2550 Document incident in laboratory survey book

Major Incident: (Any of the following conditions)

Laboratory Guidelines:

> 100 uCi of Radioactive Material (RAM)
Skin and/or clothing contamination is involved (any quantity)
Airborne RAM is thought to be present
Large areas are contaminated
Contamination has spread outside licensed areas
Personnel injury or fire
Anytime you are unsure of what to do, or how to do it

Treat life threatening injuries first
Evacuate and lock (or post) laboratory if airborne or fire hazard exists
Perform first aid, if applicable
Remove contaminated clothing
Measure and record amount of contamination on skin with applicable meter and wash area gently with warm water and soap
Warn other personnel
Notify REHS at (732) 445-2550 and Authoree
If after hours, call Campus Police or
Public Safety
Try to prevent the spread of contamination, if possible
Await the arrival of REHS

Contacts

Overall Program Management - Patrick McDermott, or call (732) 445 - 2550

Health Safety Specialists (By Campus Assignment), or call (732) 445 - 2550

For more information, contact webmaster

Last Updated:10/08/03