General Design Criteria

DOE-STD-1128-98

Guide of Good Practices for Occupational Radiological Protection in Plutonium Facilities

Indicators, auxiliary units, and equipment control components that do not have to be

adjacent to operating equipment should be installed outside of radiation or contaminated

areas. Units and components without internal contamination that are located in radiation

areas should be designed so that they can be removed as quickly as possible.

Equipment that requires frequent servicing or maintenance should be of modular

construction, standardized to the extent possible, and located outside the process area if

possible.

In radiation areas, work spaces around equipment that require maintenance (e.g., pumps,

valves) should be shielded to conform to the design-basis radiation levels.

Provisions should be made for the quick and easy removal of shielding and insulation that

cover areas where maintenance or inspection are necessary activities. Equipment should be

designed to permit visual inspection wherever possible.

Passageways should have adequate dimensions for the movement, repair, installation, or

removal of proposed or anticipated equipment.

Ergonomic factors should be considered in the selection and placement of equipment

components to facilitate operation and maintenance.

In any area where personnel may wear protective clothing or use breathing-air systems, the

use of sharp equipment projections, which could tear clothing or breathing-air system hoses

or cause wounds should be avoided.

Water-collection systems should be provided for water runoff from any controlled area.

Water from firefighting activities should be considered. The collection systems should be

designed to prevent nuclear criticality, to confine radioactive materials, and to facilitate

sampling and volume determinations of waste liquids and solids.

Area drainage and collection systems should be designed to minimize the spread of

radioactive contamination, especially to areas occupied by personnel.

Curbs should be constructed around all areas that house tanks or equipment that contains

contaminated liquids to limit the potential spread of liquids.

Noncombustible and heat-resistant materials should be used in radiation areas that are vital

to the control of radioactive materials and in equipment that is necessary for the operation of

radiological safety systems. These materials should be resistant to radiation damage and

should not release toxic or hazardous by-products during degradation, in accordance with

IAEA Safety Series No. 30 (IAEA, 1981).

Floors, walls, and ceilings should have a smooth, impervious, and seamless finish. The

junction between the floor and walls should be covered, and corners should be rounded.

Light fixtures should be designed to be sealed flush with the ceiling surface to minimize

horizontal surfaces and prevent entry of contamination into the fixtures in accordance with

IAEA Safety Series No. 30 (IAEA, 1981). Protective coatings (e.g., paint) used in radiation

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