Strengthening radiation safety culture and awareness is one of the most essential requirements for the regulatory body and the management of the particular industry. Many countries require occupationally exposed workers to be trained frequently, e.g. on an annual basis.

Wether a radiation worker is wearing a personal dosimeter badge or not, may depend on if he/she is working in a controlled or supervised area. Again, there are country-specific regulatory requirements, but the IAEA Basic Saefty Standards may serve as a guidance document. They can be downloaded from the IAEA website.

No

Depends a lot of the education and the information they get. The experience in my working sphere (radiology, medicine) shows a certain consciouness. In my country all the radiological workers, who apply radiation to men, have to refresh their knowledges every five years.

Q1: Yes. Some are.

You might have seen some folk who, for whatever reason, may not be wearing a dosimetry badge, but that doesn't mean to say that *no* workers are aware. So, 'yes', some workers are aware, and some unfortunates are not. It depends on the field, the country, and the person (as Hanno correctly pointed out).

May I ask how you observed whether someone is or is not aware of radiation risks?

Did you ask them?

I don't wear a dosimetry badge, but am aware of radiation risks.

James Garry you are right.

Radiation protection culture

Creation of a positive radiation protection culture encompasses the entire organization, from the top down and needs to be integrated throughout the organization. This is why successful sustained positive radiation protection culture takes a comprehensive effort. These efforts will vary from discovering any problems with your radiation safety program, maintenance of rules and a regulation, testing to make sure education is retained and promoting positive reinforcement. Audits must be designed to fit the particular industry you are in.

There are at least three ways to impact radiation protection culture:

• by educating and training the people involved in RP applications;

• by creating positive and total awareness about RP at working places;

• by establishing adequate and proper communication processes among all the actors

involved in RP applications.

http://www.irpa.net/members/Radiation%20Protection%20Culture%20%20draft%20V6b.pdf

Strengthening radiation safety culture and awareness is one of the most essential requirements for the regulatory body and the management of the particular industry. Many countries require occupationally exposed workers to be trained frequently, e.g. on an annual basis.

Wether a radiation worker is wearing a personal dosimeter badge or not, may depend on if he/she is working in a controlled or supervised area. Again, there are country-specific regulatory requirements, but the IAEA Basic Saefty Standards may serve as a guidance document. They can be downloaded from the IAEA website.

A good adress for IAEA informations about patient radiation protection is

https://rpop.iaea.org/RPoP/RPoP/Content/index.htm

Within the US Department of Energy system of contractors which operate the DOE National Laboratories, the Radiation Protection system is a required component of the operations contract. So radiation workers get training and dosimetry prior to any on-the-job activities.

I've never had a position in Nuclear Medicine or Nuclear Pharmacy where there wasn't radiation protection training on hiring as well as annual refresher courses. Someone not wearing appropriate monitoring devices is in violation of state or federal regulations and should be forced by the radiation safety officer to wear the appropriate monitoring device(s) or leave the area ASAP. Anyone certified or licensed as a radiation worker in the USA is well aware of radiation protection and monitoring requirements. The information provided by Hanno regarding the regulations in Germany appears to reflect similar regulatory oversight seen un the US. As a former radiation safety officer in a medical cyclotron and radiochemistry laboratory, I strictly enforced state and federal regulations, especially the use of personal monitoring devices at all times. In one instance, I had to remove a radiochemist from all radiation areas for a 3 month period due to an excessive hand dose recorded by a TLD ring badge. He eventually lost his position when employees observed his presence in radiation areas soon after being told to stay away from them.

To be more precise. In Germany everyone who starts to work with radiation has to be instructed before starting this work. This is continued by an annual periodic instruction. In medicine you have additionaly to visit a refresher course (8-12 h) with an exam. These procedures are fixed and regulated in the german Röntgenverordnung and in the Strahlenschutzverordnung. So the possibility exists to use this training in order to avoid or to minimize expositions.

Radiation workers shouldn't work in the area without proper training and monitoring as an absolute must. People who refuse to wear their badges are suspended in my hospital/research imaging centre, and for all the right reasons.

It is an essential part of protecting both themselves and the public at large. We have enough radiation marters documented from the past, there simply is no need for more.

I think people who work in radiology departments are quite aware radiation risk and protection, the problem is rather lack of awareness at people working using radiation outside the radiology departments, as for example in surgery departments.

Answering the question from the UK perspective - under IRMER, IRR regs, monitoring is only mandatory for those likely to receive in excess of 3/10 of the relevant annual dose limit. Even as a dedicated GI fluoro radiographer, my monitoring shows that I do not approx even 1/10, therefore I do not 'need' to be monitored. My employer could choose to save money and not monitor me, as long as my working practices do not change. However, the only way to prove that I do not need monitoring, is to monitor me..............

U Hrvatskoj djelatnici koji rade u zoni ionizirajućeg zračenja svjesni su rizika koji sa sobom donosi taj posao. Pridržavaju se mjera zaštite. Svake godine idu na redoviti liječnički pregled, ali javlja se problem poslodavca. Sve beneficije koje su imali zbog rada u zoni ionizirajućeg zračenja se ukidaju, te dolazi do degradacije djelatnika. Objašnjenje je da su rtg aparati novije proizvodnje i da manje zrače. Zaboravlja se na snimanje u JIL-u ili u operacijskim salama. Redovita mjesečna mjerenja vrlo rijetko pokazuju dozu, ali što je sa indirektnom dozom ( npr: ionizirani zrak koji se udiše u slabo prozračivanim prostorijama) ???

Pozdrav !

Alan, I can't read your answer because I don't understand the language.

In Croatia, the employees who work in the area of ionizing radiation are aware of the risks that entails the job. Sticking to the safeguards. Every year they go to regular medical examination, but there is a problem of the employer. All the benefits they have had the operation in the area of ionizing radiation is reversed, and the degradation of workers. The explanation is that the X-ray apparatus recent production and less reflection. He forgets to record the ICU or in the operating theaters. Regular monthly measurements rarely show dose, but what about the indirect dose (eg, ionized air that is inhaled in poorly ventilated areas)?

Hello!

google translator

Using TLD would not mean that one is aware of radiation protection as it is not a radiation protection device. But I should admit that there is callous attitude among radiation workers in general and radiologists in particular about radiation protection. I will take this opportunity to emphasise the importance of TDS (time, distance and shielding) in reducing radiation exposure dramatically.

I agree that the TLD is not for Radiation Protection. Radiation can protect through education and to apply it in their daily work what we have learned. Distance, doses that. "When we protect the patient, and protect yourself." One gram of the brain, collimation X-ray beam, correct exposure, contributing to the reduction of radiation goes as 1 ton of lead. Raising awareness of staff and top-trained staff to contribute to the reduction of radiation dose.

google translator

thanks

i dont agree. in our place, everyone is aware of the radiation. there is a routine instruction for all the staff and new workers get an introduction BEFORE they are allowed to start.

You may be interested in ICRP Publication 105 "Radiological Protection in Medicine" issued in 2007 and Publication 113 "Education and Training in Radiological Protection for Diagnostic and Interventional Procedures" issued in 2009.

In any Laboratory working with sealed/unsealed radioactive sources, TLD badge is requisite to give a time integrated dose (over few months) of the ambient Laboratory environment. Apart from the regular checks are required using radiation survey meters some which give meaningful quantifiable values, to ascertain if any radiation spill or leakage has occurred. This helps to undertake a 'quick and rapid' method for effective remediation. In addition the ambient radiation background within the Laboratory are needed to be recorded at regular intervals, for providing any sudden enhancement, if observed in these values. A proper inventory should be made of all the radioactive sources including Co-60, Radon sources and suitable shielding using "Old lead"and other related material,  is required in such Labs.  A prior permission from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, D.A.E., is required in India for all the radioactive sources. Subsequent to its use a suitable disposal of these sources should also follow the protocol as provided by A.E.R.B., D.A.E., India in case of Labs in India.