Emergency Response Actions - doe-std-1128-98

DOE-STD-1128-98

7.5.2

Emergency Response Actions

The priorities of line management (which could include involving the health

physics staff) during a criticality event should be to rescue personnel, prevent

further incidents or exposures, and quickly determine those who have been

seriously exposed (Moe, 1988). To support these emergency response actions, the

health physics staff should be trained in facility emergency procedures. These

emergency procedures include evacuation routes, personnel assembly areas,

personnel accountability, care and treatment of injured and exposed persons, a

means for immediate identification of exposed individuals, instrumentation for

determining the radiation levels at the assembly area, and the re-entry and

formation of response teams.

Emergency response procedures for conducting the initial quick sort of workers

should specify measurement techniques and require that surveyors record methods

and instrument settings used for quick-sort operations to ensure proper

interpretation of the results. Field results should be compared to pre-established

activity-dose relationships developed as part of emergency response procedures to

determine if a worker was exposed. Other indicators such as a discharged self-

reading dosimeter could also be an indication of a possible exposure.

As an immediate follow-up action for workers identified as being exposed during a

quicksort procedure, a more accurate dose estimate should be made using PNADs,

fixed-location accident dosimeters, or biological activity analyses (24Na in the

blood or 32P in the hair). Part of these more accurate analyses should include: 1)

better definition of source characteristics, 2) location of moderating materials, and

3) location and orientation of the person(s) at the time of exposure and action of the

person following the irradiation. The health physics staff can provide valuable

information to support this analysis, particularly regarding the location and

orientation of workers to the excursion if they are involved in the rescue and initial

monitoring procedures.

Health physics staff will be responsible for retrieving fixed nuclear accident

dosimeters and ensuring that PNADs from any exposed workers are submitted for

analysis.

7.5.3

Special Considerations During Decommissioning Activities

Before decommissioning or disposal of any facilities or equipment, an evaluation

should be performed to assess the potential holdup of fissionable material in any

equipment. These types of measurements may require the assistance of health

physics staff.

Some strippable coatings and surface fixing films are good neutron moderators.

Nuclear criticality safety specialists should be consulted when using these coatings

to decontaminate surfaces because criticality could be a concern, depending on the

geometry of the removed coating when in the disposal unit.

7-17