Radiation Protection in Industrial Radiography Training and Inspection

Radiation Protection in Industrial Radiography: Training, and Inspection Richard van Sonsbeek The RTD Group Röntgen Technische Dienst bv Dept. Radiation Protection Services P. O. Box 10065 3004 AB Rotterdam The Netherlands Phone +31 (0)10 2088229 Fax: +31 (0)10 4158022 e-mail: r. van. sonsbeek@rtd. nl

Causes of reported accidents (IAEA, Lessons learned from accidents in Industrial Radiography, Safety Reports Series no. 7, 1998) The RTD Group § Inadequate regulatory control § Inadequate training § Failure to follow operational procedures § Inadequate maintenance § Human error § Equipment malfunction or defect § Design flaws § Wilful violation

Regulatory control in the Netherlands § § Nuclear energy Act Radiation Protection Ordinance Specific guidelines for IR Licenses The RTD Group

IR license The RTD Group § Organisation of § Storage of radiation protection radioactive sources § Requirements for sources and x-ray § Exposure of the equipment environment § Performance of IR § Obligatory checks, on location registrations and reports

Controlled area The RTD Group

Necessary Infrastructure The RTD Group § In the Netherlands IR is only performed by limited number of bigger companies § NDT companies must have sufficient Human Resources in order to implement a management system for radiation protection which is an inevitable condition to perform IR in a safe way.

Some facts about RTD The RTD Group § Röntgen Technische Dienst was established in 1937 § Member of RTD group of companies § 235 gamma camera’s (192 Ir, 1. 7 TBq) § 356 x-ray tubes (max. 320 ke. V) § 8 Me. V linear accelerator § 100 permanent IR operators § 481, 938 films exposed in 99/00

Training of IR operators The RTD Group § Expertise is condition to obtain a license § Guideline for recognition of courses on radiation protection from level 5 to level 2: subjects and objectives § IR operators: minimum level 5 § IR RPO: minimum level 4, 3, or 2 depending on size of company

RTD Training department The RTD Group § Established in 1960 § Courses on NDT methods § Courses on radiation protection, recognised by Dutch authorities § Teachers with experience in the field that are familiar with the specific radiation protection problems, and know solutions

Operational Procedures The RTD Group § Handbook Radiation Safety with basic rules § Implementation of requirements stated in the license, and other regulations

Important rules The RTD Group § During performance of IR an operator continuously shall use a goodworking doserate monitor, he must consider it as his sixth sense § Operators must wear both a TLD meter, and a pendosemeter

Use of doserate monitor The RTD Group

Use of doserate monitor The RTD Group

Use of doserate monitor The RTD Group

Site inspections - 1 The RTD Group § IR is a repetitive job: risk exists that operators trust too much on their own routine, and become careless § Challenge for IR company to keep it operators alert § Unannounced workplace inspections

Site inspections - 2 The RTD Group § Performed by supervisors of operators, and independent inspectors of department Safety & Environment § Standard check list § Penalty depends on severity of violation of basic rules

Site inspections in 2000 The RTD Group § 358 site inspections performed by Operations Department during which 6 violations were found § 283 site inspections performed by Department S&E during which 18 violations were found

Collective dose 2000 The RTD Group

Dose distribution 2000 The RTD Group

Conclusion The results of the policy of RTD show that continuous effort leads to low radiation doses even for operators that work with strong radiation sources The RTD Group