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Procedure Development

Any facility that uses radioactive materials or radiation-producing machines must be able to describe to regulators, management, and employees the way in which radiation safety will be assured. This is typically accomplished by creating and documenting a Radiation Protection Program Plan.

For small licensees whose work with radioactive materials doesn’t change significantly over time or is limited to just a few tasks in a few locations (i.e., the use of level gauges, radio-luminescent exit signs, or x-ray diffraction units), the Radiation Protection Program Plan can be a stand-alone document that contains all regulatory and license commitments, and the procedures that will be followed to ensure those commitments are met. The Radiation Protection Program Plan is then attached to the radioactive materials license or permit, by reference, so that both the licensee and its regulatory authority have a clear picture of commitments and obligations.

For programs of broader scope or for operations that are dynamic in nature, the Radiation Protection Program Plan serves primarily as a policy document that is used to guide the function of the radiation safety organization and the generation of a comprehensive package of implementing procedures. A solid technical basis, compliance with regulatory requirements, good inter-procedure integration, and implement-ability are the keys to success for this type of documentation.

If you are in the process of applying for a license or permit to use radioactivity or rad-producing machines, or if your existing radiation protection program needs a bit of a “face lift” to bring it up to speed with new requirements and/or improve its cost-effectiveness, the Plexus-NSD fixed price radiation protection program development service may be of interest to you. The first step in the process is an exchange of information, where Plexus-NSD learns what you want to do, where you want to do it, and what constraints your program will have. From there, we will generate a draft Radiation Protection Program Plan that will be forwarded to you for review and comment. Once all comments have been resolved, you will receive the final Radiation Protection Program Plan in a form that is ready for signatures and duplication. You will also receive an electronic version of the Radiation Protection Program Plan to facilitate future revisions.

Plexus-NSD prepared Radiation Protection Program Plans are in widespread use by USNRC and Agreement State licensees. They contain exactly the amount of information required to meet the necessary objectives – no more, no less. Typically, the following programmatic elements are addressed, to a greater or lesser degree, depending upon the scope of the program:

  • Radiation Protection Organization and Administration
  • Facilities and Equipment
  • Training in Radiation Protection
  • Radiation Exposure Control
  • Control of Radiological Work
  • ALARA Program
  • Contamination Control
  • Instrumentation
  • Surveillance
  • Posting
  • Receipt and Control of Radioactive Material
  • Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials
  • Control of Radioactive Waste
  • Radiation Protection Records
  • Documentation
  • Emergency Response and Notifications
  • Periodic Program Review

If one or more implementing procedures are necessary, Plexus-NSD draws from our existing stock that have already been tested for regulatory acceptance, ease of use, and technical defensibility. Once again, after an initial exchange of information, procedures will be tailored to your specific operation(s) and forwarded to you for review and comment. Once all comments have been resolved, you will receive the final version of each procedure in paper as well as electronic form. Just a few of the procedure topics that can be quickly customized for your program are:

  • Air Sampling
  • ALARA Program
  • Building/Structure Surveys
  • Contamination Control
  • Control of Radiological Work (including the Radiation Work Permits)
  • Control of Radioactive Waste
  • Control of Radiation Safety Procedures
  • Definitions
  • Emergency Response and Notifications
  • Exposure Control
  • External Exposure Monitoring
  • Final Status Surveys
  • Health and Safety Planning
  • Instrument Rental
  • Instrumentation
  • Internal Exposure Monitoring
  • Land Area Surveys
  • Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Material
  • Quality Assurance Audits and Periodic Program Reviews
  • Radiation Protection Records
  • Radiological Areas and Posting
  • Receipt, Handling and Identification of Radioactive Material
  • Sample Collection
  • Sealed/Bulk Radiation Source Handling
  • Smear, Swab and Filter Counting
  • Stop Work Authority
  • Subcontracting and Purchases
  • Surveillance
  • Tailgate Safety Training
  • Training and Qualifications of Radiation Protection Personnel
  • Training in Radiation Protection

When asked to prepare a Radiation Protection Program Plan or implementing procedure, Plexus-NSD does not re-invent the wheel with every request. Instead we use existing, field-tested methods that have withstood the scrutiny of regulatory authorities, and tough legal challenges. Because each Radiation Protection Program Plan or implementing procedure is built upon “off the shelf” products whose development costs have long ago been recovered, we are able to offer this service at a fraction of the cost of in-house procedure development.

If you are interested in a Radiation Protection Program Plan for implementing procedures, simply Contact Us. An Plexus-NSD Certified Health Physicist will work with you to provide you with whatever additional information you need or a fixed-price cost for performing the work you require.