BERTHOLD TECHNOLOGIES LB 480 - Radiation Protection; 9.1 General Information and Guidelines

SENSseries LB 480 Level measurement
BERTHOLD TECHNOLOGIES GmbH & Co. KG
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Volume 1 9 Radiation Protection
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9 Radiation Protection
9.1 General Information and Guidelines
In order to prevent adverse health effects caused by working with
radioactive substances, limits for the maximum permissible radia-
tion exposure of operating personnel have been agreed upon on an
international level. Appropriate measures in designing the shield-
ings and arranging the measuring system at the measuring site will
ensure that the radiation exposure of the personnel will remainbe-
low the maximum permissible value of 1mSv (100mrem) per year.
To ensure safe operation and compliance with the legal regulations,
the company has to appoint a Radiation Safety Manager who is
responsible for all questions relating to radiation protection. The
Radiation Safety Officer will monitor handling of the radiometric
measuring system and, if necessary, formalize the safeguards and
any special precautions applicable to a given establishment in for-
mal procedural instructions, which in special cases may serve as a
basis for radiation protection guidelines. Radiation protection zones
outside the shielding must be – if they are accessible – marked and
guarded. These instructions should also include checks of the shut-
ter device of the shielding and actions in case of accidents – such as
fire or explosion. Any special event has to be reported to the Radi-
ation Safety Manager immediately. He will then investigate any
damage and immediately take suitable precautions if he detects
defects that may adversely affect the safe operation of the system.
The Radiation Safety Manager has to make sure that the provisions
of the Radiation Protection Regulations are observed. In particular,
his duties include instructing the staff on the proper precautions
when working in the vicinity of radioactive substances.
Radioactive sources that are no longer in use or have reached the
end of their service life must be returned to the national radioactive
waste disposal center or to the manufacturer.
Generally, every member of staff should endeavor to minimize any
radiation exposure—even within the permissible limits—by careful
and responsible action and by observing certain safety standards.
The total sum of the radiation dose absorbed by a body is deter-
mined by three factors. On the basis of these factors, certain fun-
damental radiation protection rules can be derived: Distance, time
and shielding.