Radioactive Spill Emergency Procedure

1. Obtain Assistance

• Verbally warn all other persons in the area.
• Obtain immediate assistance to contain and control the spill.
• Restrict unnecessary movement into and through the spill area.
• Ensure the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) is advised.

• Attend to personal injuries first (first aid).
• Soak up any liquid contamination from skin and clothing with dry tissues.
• Make way to wash area, avoiding spreading the contamination further.
• Using a fresh set of gloves, remove any contaminated clothing.
• Decontaminate contaminated skin and/or eyes.
• Monitor progress of personal decontamination.

Whilst attending to injured / contaminated persons and afterwards, ensure:

• Protective clothing (lab coats, gloves, overshoes, safety glasses) is worn.
• The contaminated area is identified and marked out to assist with the clean up.
• Broken glass and sharps are collected (using tweezers) into a sharps container.
• The spill is covered with absorbent plastic backed pads or paper towels.
• A suitable radiation contamination monitor is used to assess the extent of the spill and to assist with the clean up.

• Complete area and equipment decontamination.
• Monitor levels of contamination remaining, if any.
• Package, label and dispose of radioactive contaminated wastes.
• Discuss with RSO any need for biological monitoring.
• Submit incident / accident report to the RSO.