On October 22, 1993, personnel at the Rocky Flats 903 Decontamination Pad observed subcontractor workers decontaminating gray drums without the proper radiological monitoring equipment or qualified Health Physics personnel present. Prior to the event, the subcontractors repackaged the gray drums into white drums with the proper radiological monitoring personnel present. Later they took the gray drums to the decontamination facility for removal of residual mud from the bottoms. During this evolution, there were no radiological monitoring personnel present. (ORPS Report RFO-- EGGR-ENVOPS-1993-0019)
NS reported on a similar event in OE Weekly Summary 93-41 concerning a worker not wearing proper dosimetry while handling radioactive material. On October 8, 1993, personnel at the Sandia National Laboratory discovered a lead pig containing a one-mCi plutonium-239 radiation source in an uncontrolled area. Event investigators determined that the employee who used the source did not wear a dosimeter and had not received radiation worker safety training. The employee was instructed to wear a dosimeter when working with the source and to request surveys from Health Physics before any movement. (ORPS Report ALO-KO-SNL-2000-1993-0006)
Other events reported in previous OE Weekly Summaries include the following.
On April 1, 1993, a worker at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Central Engineering facility entered a radiological area for 15 minutes without a dosimeter in violation of facility procedures and the Radiation Work Permit. Facility personnel reported that the worker was new to the job and had recently completed General Employee Training and radiation worker training. (ORPS Report ORO--MKFO-Y12CENTENG-1993-0013)
On September 9, 1992, a worker at the Sandia National Laboratory violated facility procedures when he entered a radiological controlled area without required dosimetry. Event investigators determined that inadequate facility signs and postings, an ineffective lockout/tagout procedure, and inadequate operating procedures contributed to the occurrence. (ORPS Report ALO-KO-SNL-TA1ALBQ-1992- 0027)
On March 28, 1991, a dosimetry clerk at the Grand Junction Operations Geotech facility entered a posted "AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY AREA" in violation of procedures and posted signs. The area required a baseline bioassay and a thermoluminescent dosimeter for entry, and the clerk had neither. She entered the area with a construction subcontractor employee, signed the entry log, but did not read the radiation work permit. (ORPS Report ID--GEO-GJO-1991-1001)
These events underscore the importance of attention to detail when working in radiological-posted areas and the importance of properly training personnel in basic radiation worker safety. In addition, the incidents emphasize the need for procedural compliance and the critical role of supervision in enforcement. DOE Order 5480.11, Radiation Protection for Occupational Workers, states that: "Occupational workers shall be monitored, as appropriate, to demonstrate compliance with the radiation protection standards...and to estimate the dose equivalents received from external and internal sources of radiation." Failure to wear radiological monitoring equipment (e.g., pocket dosimeters and thermoluminescent dosimeters) while working with radioactive materials can lead to unplanned and unmonitored exposures.