National Committee for the Certification of Radiation Protection Officer Planning and Emergency Procedures in Radiation Processing Facilities

National Committee for the Certification of Radiation Protection Officer

Planning and Emergency Procedures in Radiation

Processing Facilities


• Introduction• Source of Emergency• Types of Emergency• Emergency Plan• Emergency Organization• Reporting Procedures• Emergency Procedures• Emergency Equipment• Emergency Preparedness• Accident Investigation and Reporting

ContentsContents


• Accidents and incidents had occurred many times in irradiation facilities in the past.

• Some had led to severe exposure and death of the victims.

• It is a fact that any accident occurs at the facilities is potential to cause fatality because of high radiation dose rates involved.

• It is very important for an emergency plan to be established, which allows for immediate and correct actions to be taken to mitigate the consequences and to minimize the hazard and cost involved.

IntroductionIntroduction


• A breakdown in either the control of personnel or the control of the radiation sources involved can be anticipated to lead to a radiological emergency.

• Loss of control of personnel usually happens when unauthorized persons manage to get access to the irradiation room when the facility is in operation.

• Loss of control of the radiation sources can occur as a result of unauthorized operation of the facility and inability of the licensee or RPO to keep track every single movement of the sources, which finally lead to source leakage, damage or lost, or the sources fall into the hand of unauthorized person.

Sources of EmergencySources of Emergency


• Conventional accidents such as fire, explosions, transport accidents and equipment failures.

• With gamma and electron beam facilities, the occurrence of an accident will be very much localized in nature and of limited magnitude.

• An accident may be confined only to the irradiation room and its immediate surrounding areas (emergency Level 1) and will not in any way spread to other areas.



• For gamma irradiation facilities, possible accidents or incidents that can happen as a result of loss of control of personnel and sources are as follows:

Abnormal audible alarm Failure of the source assembly to return to its safe storage place The source assembly or source pencils detached and dropped

in the irradiation room Malfunction or deliberate defeat of the safety control system Increase in radiation leakage from the irradiation room Leakage of radioactive material from source pencils Fire in the irradiation facilities Transport accident Low water level



• For electron beam irradiation facilities, possible accidents or incidents that can occur as a result of loss of control of personnel and sources are as follows:

Increase in radiation leakage from the irradiation room; and

Fire in the irradiation facility.



• The emergency involved can be classified into:

Level 1 where consequences are limited to a single room/plant/building.

o Failure of source assembly to return to its safe storage place.

o Increase in radiation leakage from the irradiation room or leakage of the radiation source.

Types of EmergencyTypes of Emergency


Level 2 where consequences have spread out but limited to the perimeter of the facility or premise.

o Consequences caused by loss of radiation source.

o Fire in the irradiation room.

Levels 3 and 4, which have potential consequences extended beyond the perimeter of the facility.

o Thick biological shield, water pool and the presence of secondary building that houses the facility.

Types of EmergencyTypes of Emergency


• A simple emergency plan should be established to properly manage the situation arising from accidents or incidents involving gamma and electron beam facilities.

• The need to have such plan is clearly stated in the Radiation Protection (Basic Safety Standard) Regulations 1988.

• The plan is established with aims : to limit the exposure to as low as reasonably achievable, to control and bring the situation back to normal immediately

after an accident happened and to gather information for the purpose of assessment and taking

corrective action.

Emergency PlanEmergency Plan


• The plan should be clear, specific, simple and concise but must meet all the local requirements and needs.

• The plan should be able to : Address all possible accidents that can happen

with gamma and electron beam facilities; and Identify the emergency organisation involved and

response action taken during the accident.

Emergency PlanEmergency Plan


• Emergency organisation is one of the components of the emergency plan.

• It is important to indicate who are the groups of people involved in the emergency response action and what are their assigned responsibilities.

• It also highlights line of command for any action to be taken during an emergency.

• The emergency organisation for gamma and electron beam irradiation facilities must be integrated into other emergency respond plans of the organisation.

Emergency OrganisationEmergency Organisation


Facility Operator /Radiation Worker

Emergency Respond Centre (Emergency Coordinator)

Respond Team/Unit

Outside Support GroupNuclear Malaysia /

Fire Rescure Dept. / Police /Hospital / Supplier / Manufacturer

Workshift/SupervisorFire Squard

First Aid

RPO/RPS

Emergency OrganisationEmergency Organisation


• All accidents and incidents must be reported for mitigating actions to be taken without undue delay.

• Reporting procedures must be made according to the hierarchy given in the emergency organisation.

• The Facility Operator/a radiation worker who discovers an accident or incident must immediately take action to control the accident/incident site and report the accident/incident to his/her Work/Shift Supervisor.

• Upon receiving notification, the Work/Shift Supervisor shall immediately come to the site and take preliminary actions to control the exposure and assess the situation.

Reporting ProceduresReporting Procedures


• The Work/Shift Supervisor shall then inform the RPO/RPS to take further action. The RPO/RPS shall verify adequacy of the control measures provided and classify the emergency into Level 1 or 2.

• The RPO/RPS together with Work/Shift Supervisor and the Facility Operator shall take action to mitigate accident of Level 1 and Level 2.

• In case of Level 2 accident, if it is beyond the capability of the RPO/RPS to handle, he/she shall inform the Emergency Coordinator, who in turn shall seek assistance from external support groups including the supplier/manufacturer.

• The RPO/RPS shall work together and supervise personnel from any external support group involved in the emergency mitigation.



• The RPO/RPS shall inform the AELB by phone of the occurrence of the accident/incident within 24 hours and shall submit a written full accident report within 30 days from the date of occurrence.

• The Emergency Coordinator is responsible for communication with the media and the public.

• The list of persons involved in emergency organization and their telephone numbers should be displayed in a prominent location adjacent to the control panel in the irradiation facility.



• Abnormal audible alarm:

If any unexplained audible alarm sounds, the Facility Operator should:

o Immediately shut down the facility by returning the source(s) to its safe storage place: and

o Inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the RPO.

Emergency Procedures (Response Action)



• Abnormal audible alarm (cont.):

The RPO/RPS shall:

o Together with the Work/Shift Supervisor and the Facility Operator, monitor the surrounding areas with a survey meter to determine the cause of the alarm. If the cause can be immediately ascertained and controlled, first control the cause and then reset the alarm system and record the incident.

o Determine the actions to be taken based on a review of the monitoring systems, survey meter’s readings and machine status if the cause cannot be immediately ascertained and controlled.




• Abnormal audible alarm (cont.):

The RPO/RPS shall (cont.):

o Take further actions, if necessary, which include evacuation of affected personnel, erection of new additional barriers and temporary shielding. Further actions can be taken based on limiting estimated radiation doses to radiation workers to 30 mSv and other employees to 5 mSv during the course of the emergency.

o Contact the supplier/manufacturer if necessary for additional advice.

o Notify the incident to the AELB.

o Prepare a detailed report of the incident to be submitted to the AELB.




Failure of the source assembly to return to its safe storage place:

For any malfunction in the irradiation room, personnel safety is maintained if the source can be lowered into its safe storage place by normal means or if personnel can be prevented from entering the irradiation room.

When the source assembly gets stuck, the Facility Operator shall:o Immediately inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the RPO.o Ensure that there is no attempt to enter the irradiation room.




Upon notification, the RPO/RPS shall:

o Together with the Facility Operator and the Work/Shift Supervisor, confirm that the source assembly really cannot be returned to its storage place.

o For Category II and IV, it can be done by taking the following actions:

– Check SOURCE UP and SOURCE DOWN light for proper operation at the control console.




Upon notification, the RPO/RPS shall (cont.):


– Check all safety interlock responses to determine what fault really causes the machine to shutdown, if any.

– Dump the air in the source pass by pressing the red emergency button on the control console.

– Press the monitor test button on the control console (if the monitor alarms sound then the source(s) is exposed).

– Go to the roof of the irradiation room and check the “source down switch” on the source hoist for proper operation.






– Check radiation levels at known hot spots to see if the levels are different from the last survey.

– Check source cable for slack, if any. This is done by pulling the slack cable by retracting the cylinder by hand and make sure the cable is in sleeves and pulleys where it belongs.

– Measurement length of piston outside of cylinder body and multiply by six to obtain position of source assembly in the irradiation chamber.





o For Category II and IV, it can be done by taking the following actions (cont.):

– Notify the supplier/manufacturer for further advice and actions to be taken.

– Notify the incident to the AELB.– Declare that emergency situation is over and the situation is

back to normal.– Prepare a detailed report of the incident to be submitted to

the AELB.




• The source assembly or source pencils detached and dropped in the irradiation room:

This abnormal occurrence can happen with Category II and IV facilities.

This occurrence can be confirmed by high radiation indication after the source assembly is returned to its safe storage place.

When this happened, the Facility Operator shall:o Immediately inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the RPO.o Ensure that there is no attempt to enter the irradiation room.




• The source assembly or source pencils detached and dropped in the irradiation room (cont.):


o Confirm the presence of the source(s) in the irradiation room by looking at the CCTV and indication of all the radiation monitors.

o Plan a means of retrieving the source(s). In the event of difficulty retrieving the source(s), report details to the Emergency Coordinator and inform supplier/manufacturer for special advice and further actions to be taken.

o Take actions based on advice of the supplier/manufacturer.




• The source assembly or source pencils detached and dropped in the irradiation room (cont.):


o Notify forthwith the AELB.

o Carry out a leakage test on the source if the source(s) is to be used again.

o Declare that emergency situation is over and the situation is back to normal.

o Prepare a detailed report of the incident to be submitted to the AELB.




Malfunction or deliberate defeat of the safety control system:

In the event of malfunction or deliberate defeat of the safety control system, the Facility Operator shall:o Shut down the facility by returning the source(s) to its safe

storage place.o Inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the RPO. o Ensure that there is no attempt to enter the irradiation room.

The Work/Shift Supervisor shall :o Inspect the malfunctioned or defeated part of the system.o Take action to repair, replace or improve to avoid similar

incidents from happening again.




Malfunction or deliberate defeat of the safety control system (cont.):

The RPO/RPS shall:o Investigate to ensure that no one has received

radiation overexposure during the incident. If somebody has received or suspected to have received radiation overexposure, make special request to process his/her dosimeter and send him/her for medical examination.

o Notify forthwith the AELB.o Prepare a detailed report of the incident to be

submitted to the AELB.




Increase in radiation leakage from the irradiation room:

In the event of radiation leakage from the irradiation room is found to be higher than normal, the Facility Operator shall :

o Shut down the facility; ando Inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the

RPO.




Increase in radiation leakage from the irradiation room (cont.):


o Together with the Work/Shift Supervisor and the Facility Operator, monitor the surrounding areas with a survey meter to determine the cause of the abnormal radiation level.

o Together with the Work/Shift Supervisor, take action to overcome the problem and carry out a leakage test.

o Notify the AELB forthwith.o Declare that emergency situation is over and the situation is

back to normal.o Prepare a detailed report of the incident to be submitted to

the AELB.




Leakage of radioactive material from source pencils:

In the event of any indication of contamination by any of the monitors or from routine leak tests, it has to be assumed that the sealed source(s) is leaked.

The Facility Operator shall:o Shut down the facility;o Restrict entrance; and o Quarantine all products in the suspected area.

Inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the RPO.




Leakage of radioactive material from source pencils (cont.):


o Notify the AELB that an incident is suspected to have occurred and safety measures are being implemented.

o Carry out the following safety measures.o Inform the emergency coordinator and request an immediate test for

leakage of radioactive material(s).o Contact the supplier/manufacturer of the incident and ask for specific

advice.o Assist a technical support group dispatched by the

supplier/manufacturer in carrying out the corrective work.o Declare that emergency situation is over and the situation is back to

normal.o Prepare a detailed report of the incident to be submitted to the AELB.





Safety measures to be carried out by RPO/RPS:o All windows must be closed; fans, water filtration plant and air

conditioners must be shut off; and everyone must leave the facility.

o All doors should be closed and locked.

o All personnel who may have been contaminated should be thoroughly tested for contamination and immediate steps taken to remove any radioactive contamination.

o Entrance to the facility (or contaminated area) should be prohibited except to authorized personnel requiring access in the performance of their special duties.





Safety measures to be carried out by RPO/RPS:o Under no circumstances should any unauthorized or

untrained persons attempt to examine or clean up any spilled of radioactive material.

o Fans or ventilating apparatus should not be used in an attempt to disperse the radioactive material or its decay products. Such a maneuver will only encourage spread of the radioactive contamination throughout the area.

o If contamination is found on the outside of the irradiation room, erect a temporary physical barrier and place radiation warning signs.




Fire in irradiation facilities:

In case of fire occurs outside the irradiation room, it should not have an immediate effect on the facility itself due to the structural design of the facility’s building and massive thickness of the concrete shielding. Smoke detector and fire alarm will be activated.

The Facility Operator shall: o Shut down the irradiation facility and activate the closest fire alarm

actuator.o Immediately vacate the area of any personnel.o Switch off ventilation system and electricity supply to the facility.o Fight the fire using any readily available fire fighting equipment.

Request the assistance of in-house fire fighting team.o Inform Work/Shift Supervisor and RPO/RPS for further action.




Fire in irradiation facilities (cont.):

In cases where fire occurs inside the irradiation room, it will activate fire alarm system.

The ventilation system will be shutdown in order to avoid fire propagation through the air supply.

Temperature probe will cause the irradiator to shut down and the source to return to its safe position.




Fire in irradiation facilities (cont.):

In case of fire inside the irradiation room, the Facility Operator should:

o Push STOP button on the control console and activate the closest fire alarm actuator. Make sure that the source has reached the bottom of pool before leaving the area;

o Immediately vacate the area of any personnel;o Confirm that the ventilation fan has been automatically

turned off. If not, push STOP button of the fan control box; and

o Inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the RPO.




Fire in irradiation facilities (cont.): The RPO/RPS should:

o Classify the emergency into Level 1 or Level 2.o In case of Level 2, inform the Emergency Coordinator

and request for assistance from outside support groups especially Fire Department.

o Erect barriers around the site and prevent access to them and restrict the movement of persons who have entered them.

o Work together and supervise the Fire Department and other personnel involved especially if it is necessary for Fire Department personnel to enter the irradiation room.




Fire in irradiation facilities (cont.): The RPO/RPS should:

o The RPO shall assess the situation carefully before entering the irradiation room and under no circumstances that these external support personnel should enter the irradiation room without the presence of RPO. It is imperative that these support personnel be preceded, while entering the irradiation room by RPO who will be carrying radiation detection equipment.

o Notify forthwith the AELB and the supplier.o Declare that emergency situation is over and the situation is

back to normal.o Prepare a detailed report of the accident to be submitted to

the AELB.




Transport accident:

Transportation of gamma radiation sources is normally done according to Radiation Protection (Transport) Regulations 1989.

There will be a transport document prepared by the consignor that would normally accompany transport packages, which highlight, among others, immediate response actions to be taken during an emergency.




Transport accident (cont.):

In the event of a vehicle carrying gamma radiation sources involved in an accident, the driver should take immediate action according to instructions given in the transport document.

The driver should: o Put up a physical barrier and warning signs around the

accident site.o Immediately inform the RPO/RPS and provide all the

necessary information to him/her.o Take further action based on advice of RPO/RPS.





The RPO/RPS should:

o Advise the driver on further course of actions to be taken in case of emergency Level 1.

o In case of emergency Level 2, inform the Emergency Coordinator and request for an assistance from outside support groups nearest to the accident site.

o Together with the driver, supervise the outside support personnel involved.





The RPO/RPS should:

o Notify forthwith the AELB and the consignor;o Declare that emergency situation is over and

the situation is back to normal; ando Prepare a detailed report of the incident to be

submitted to the AELB.




Low water level:

If the low water level alarm turns on, the Facility Operator shall immediately shut down the facility by returning the source(s) to its safe storage place.

Inform the Work/Shift Supervisor and the RPO.




Low water level (cont.):

The RPO/RPS shall supervise the following procedures:o On PLC, verify all the inputs from the float switch (very high, high,

low, very low).o Verify if make-up valve at the pump is open. If not, open it.o Water can also be supplied through the deionizer and chiller pipes.o As a last resort, the sprinkler system could be used taking the inlet

water from the main supply instead of from the pool.

If it appears that the problem is due to a crack in the pool, the RPO/RPS shall call the supplier and notify the AELB.




• Protective devices and radiation measuring equipment are very important in dealing with accident or incident involving radiation sources.

• The equipment to be made available for an emergency should be of the right number and type.

• For electron beam facilities, the equipment required may consist of: At least one survey meter for measuring radiation; Two units of personnel dosimeter; and Radiation protection devices.

Emergency EquipmentEmergency Equipment


• For gamma irradiation facilities, the equipment required may consist of:

At least one survey meter of dual function to measure both radiation and contamination with suitable energy range;

Two units of direct reading, medium range personnel dosimeters to be assigned to personnel directly involved in emergency operation, decontamination kits; and

A simple analytical equipment for sample analysis.



• Other emergency equipment required may include the following:

Personal protective equipment (PPE) Ropes, shielding material and warning signs First aid and other medical emergency equipment Fire fighting equipment Rescue equipment (ropes, stretchers, jaws of life,

hammers, axes, etc.) Supporting documents



• All emergency equipment must be able to be used under those conditions where electricity, water and telephone may be disrupted.

• The equipment and devices reserved for emergency should not be used for routine work.



• An established emergency plan and procedures with adequate back up of emergency equipment alone cannot guarantee a successful implementation of the necessary actions during an emergency.

• The emergency plan should always be in the state of readiness and ready to be utilised whenever they are needed.

• The emergency plan should be made known to all workers and be regularly tested (exercised) based on certain relevant scenarios.

• Emergency exercise need to be carried out to identify: Any shortcomings with personnel involved, equipment. The plan and procedures besides. To familiarize those involved with their responsibilities, the plan,

procedures and the equipment.

Emergency PreparednessEmergency Preparedness


• To always update and review the plan and its procedures and make the necessary changes accordingly. In updating the plan, feedbacks from assessment of the exercise should be taken into account.

• The equipment reserved for emergency should be regularly checked, tested and calibrated.

• The equipment which is reserved for emergency, should not be used for routine radiological survey.



• Personnel involved in the plan need to be given appropriate allocation for them to undergo a relevant training program.

• The training program must cover: Basic radiation protection principles; Radiation instruments and measurements; Emergency organisation and responsibilities; and Emergency procedures.



• All accidents and incidents that happen at the gamma or electron beam facilities must be investigated and reported to the relevant authorities.

• Accident investigation must be a planned activity.

• Among activities that need to be done before investigation begins includes: Having a policy requiring all accidents to be reported and

investigated; Identifying and training the investigators; Assembling the tools for investigation; Deciding on who is/are supposed to read the report; and

implement the recommendations made.

Accident Investigation and Reporting



• Activities that must be done during investigation would include acquisition of all information that would explain the causes of the accidents.

• Accident investigation must focus on the root and secondary causes of the emergency.

• The licensee is responsible for notifying the AELB of any radiological accident at the place of work by telephone within 24 hours.

• The licensee must arrange for the accident to be investigated and a full accident investigation report must be submitted to the AELB within 30 days after the accident.




• The report should contain:

Particulars of the licensee, day, date and place of the accident/incident.

The WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHAT, HOW, and WHY of the accident.

State of the gamma radiation source involved its activity and physical form.




• The report should contain:

Results of dose evaluation of individual involved and how the exposure is received (if applicable).

Corrective actions taken and will be carried out to prevent recurrence.

Preventive actions taken and will be carried to prevent the potential occurrence.

Any other information deem necessary.




Summary


Thank YouThank Youfor your attention

Documents

National Committee for the Certification of Radiation Protection Officer Planning and Emergency Procedures in Radiation Processing Facilities