Requirements for Special Maintenance cont'd

DOE-STD-1128-98

In recent years many new types of glove-box gloves have been developed.

Glove usage should be tailored to the particular needs of the job. For

processes that require maximum dexterity, the 0.014-in. (0.038-cm)

Neoprene gloves are still superior. Coated Hypalon gloves are superior to

Neoprene for glove-box process operations that involve nitric acid or ozone

levels that may cause deterioration. Ethylenepropylenediamine monomer

(EPDM) gloves are used in some facilities and have good flexibility and are

resistant to degradation caused by radiation and ozone. Greenhalgh et al.

(1979) reported that Hypalon and EPDM gloves have greater than 30 times

the longevity of Neoprene in low-level ozone concentration atmospheres.

Viton gloves have proven to have a longer life than Neoprene gloves under

many operating conditions, but suffer somewhat from stiffness. Where high

gamma radiation levels are encountered, lead-loaded gloves may be

necessary. However, their stiffness and workers' loss of manual dexterity

should be considered in determining their influence on work efficiency and

the total dose received.

Persons who perform operations that involve microspheres of 238Pu, coated or

uncoated, should be aware that the heat generation of a single 100-m- to

200-m-diameter sphere can melt through glove material. In addition,

containment of a quantity of microspheres, especially coated microspheres, is

difficult because of electrostatic repulsion. Microspheres have been observed

climbing the walls of a glass beaker and spreading throughout a glove box.

Glove storage problems occur occasionally. Experiments and static tests have

not provided an adequate explanation of the sporadic problems that have

been encountered. Test results in which gloves were stored under different

lighting conditions (ultraviolet and fluorescent) and under stressed conditions

(creased or bent) have not been consistent. Tests of gloves seem to indicate

that glove degradation is caused by the combined effect of ionizing radiation,

ozone, and lighting. The glove inventory should be rotated to prevent the

inventory from becoming outdated while on the shelf.

All gloves in normal use at plutonium processing installations should be

inspected prior to each use. All operating personnel should perform

contamination self-surveys after every glove usage. The glove inspections

should be made each time by the same team of trained individuals, and the

condition of each glove should be recorded so that glove failures can be

anticipated and preventative measures can be taken. The development of a

statistical basis for establishing the frequency of glove changes should be

considered because such a basis may be cost-effective. For example, the

change-out frequency could be planned so that gloves are changed at some

fraction of the mean time between failures or more preferably some fraction

of the minimum time between failures. This type of change-out program

could also minimize personnel doses and potential contamination spread

incidents associated with too-frequent glove replacement. This procedure

may require that each glove use be categorized. A routine replacement

program will not replace an inspection program, but it is a supplement to the

inspections. The inspector's surgeon gloves should, of course, be surveyed

after the inspection of each glove-box glove. Gloves that are in questionable

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