1. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN AND PREPAREDNESS IN RESEARCH ACTIVITY USING RADIATION

2. Contents Introduction Sources of Emergency Types of Emergency
Emergency Plan
Emergency Equipment
Decontamination
Emergency Preparedness
Recovery Steps
Review of Emergency Plan and Preparedness
Accident Investigation and Reporting

3. Introduction
The difference between an incident and a catastrophic accident is the first action taken during an emergency.
Emergency occurrence and situation is unplanned and largely unpredictable.
However, emergency response to manage and control emergency need not be unplanned or unpredictable.
To reduce the level of unpredictability in an emergency response, a comprehensive and operational emergency plan and procedure must be in place.
Besides reducing the impact of an emergency, an emergency plan and preparedness are required to help return the emergency state to normal.

4. Sources of Emergency Loss of Control of Personnel
Access to control and supervised areas in a research facility is restricted to authorize personnel only.
Loss of control of personnel is due to failure in administrative control or human error.
Loss of Control of Radiation Machine
Involves the loss of control of irradiating apparatus, such as X-ray machine, electron beam etc.

5. Sources of Emergency Loss of Control of Sealed Sources
Failure of shutter to close thereby emitting uncontrolled radiation.
Stolen or misplace source.
Unauthorized operation of radiation devices.
Loss of Control of Unsealed Sources
Emergency involve spillage and contamination of radioactive sources onto workers, working area and environment.
Conventional Accident
Emergency initiated by a non-radiation emergency such as natural disaster (e.g. flood, earthquake, fire, theft or even sabotage).

6. Types of Emergency Emergencies may be classified based on:
Geographical extent of the consequence
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Radiological consequences:
Internal contamination;
External exposure; and
Potential to produce a significant collective dose.

7. Emergency Plan Hierarchy of Emergency Respond
Emergency Respond Centre
(Emergency Coordinator)
Radiation Emergency
(OBTL)
Fire Emergency
(fire head)
First Aider
Radiation Workers
Other Emergency
(Heads)
RPO
Radiation Supervisor
Hierarchy of Emergency Respond
A typical on-site Levels 1 and 2 emergency organization
involving both radiation and non-radiation emergencies

8. Emergency Plan Notification Procedures
Notification procedures of an emergency may be divided into three:
Notification of an accident to the organization’s emergency respond team to request for an emergency respond;
Notification of an accident to the organization for the purpose of accident investigation; and
Notification of an accident to the AELB or appropriate authority.

9. Emergency Plan Review of Plan
Consequently all plan and preparedness must be reviewed periodically for its relevancy and accuracy.
Management must be responsible for the review.
Management must identify competent individual or set up a competent committee to review all emergency plan.
Plan must be reviewed periodically and when there is a special need for it.
Review of plan must include the scope, procedures and equipment used in an emergency.

10. Emergency Equipment
Management with the advice of the RPO must provide and maintain suitable type and number of emergency equipment.
There are two categories of radiological emergency equipment:
detectors and counters, and
radiation protection equipment and tools.
Types of equipment used are determined by the radiation quality, quantity of radionuclides and source and types of emergency.

11. Emergency Equipment Examples of emergency equipment are:
survey meters;
personal dosimeters;
breathing apparatus, respirators and dust masks;
fully impervious clothing;
footwear and gloves; and
decontamination agents and equipment etc.
All emergency equipment must be maintained, calibrated according to the requirement of the manufacturer and the authority, and in good working condition.
All personnel involved in the use of such equipment must be trained to use it effectively.

12. Decontamination Decontamination of Personnel
Fundamental principles applicable to decontamination are:
Wet decontamination methods should always be used in preference to dry;
Mild decontamination methods should be tried before resorting to treatment which can damage the surfaces involve;
Precautions must always be taken to prevent the further spread of contamination during decontamination operations; and
Where possible, contamination involving short-lived activities should be isolated and segregated to allow natural decay to take its course.

13. Decontamination Decontamination of Clothing
Lab coat must always be worn when working with unsealed radioactive sources.
Rubber gloves and disposable impervious apron (must be worn over the lab coat) must be worn when handling liquid or powdered radioactive materials.
Any contamination could easily be overcome by disposing of the rubber gloves and apron.
Contaminated lab coat could be washed in a washing system whereby the water is collected and stored for subsequent disposal as radioactive waste.
Stubborn contamination of certain clothing might be more economical to let the activity die down naturally to within the permissible levels, or dispose of it as waste.

14. Decontamination Decontamination of Equipment and Tools
Disposable of some contaminated equipment and tools as radioactive waste may be more economical than decontaminating.
Otherwise it is better to let the activity decay down naturally to within the permissible levels. The later method is for radionuclides with low half-lives.

15. Decontamination Decontamination of Working Areas
Decontamination measures depend upon the nature of contamination:
Loose form: loose contaminants may be removed using vacuum cleaners with special filters. Do not brush or dust off.
Relatively fixed: relatively fixed contamination can only be removed by using the wet method.

16. Emergency Preparedness
Training
Training programmes should cover four main areas:
General radiation protection principles;
Relevant emergency procedures;
Use and maintenance of emergency instruments and equipment; and
Emergency organization and their responsibilities

17. Emergency Preparedness
Training
Training programmes should be provided at two basic levels:
For ‘first–on-the-scene’ personnel: This basic training is designed for those first-on-the-scene such as police, and fire and rescue department personnel.
Technical experts: These people shall receive a more extensive training that will enable them to advice the first-on-the-scene personnel.

18. Emergency Preparedness
Exercise
Exercise is a drill carried out to simulate response in an emergency scenario.
The objectives of having exercise are to:
Reveal shortcomings in personnel, equipment and procedures so that they can be corrected and improved; and
To familiarize those likely to be involved with any future real accident with the emergency plan, procedures and equipment.

19. Emergency Preparedness
Emergency Equipments
All necessary emergency equipments must be continuously maintained in operational conditions.
Personnel using such equipment must be trained to use them effectively, and maintain them for continued readiness.

20. Recovery Steps
Emergency plan and preparedness is not limited to controlling and overcoming the emergency but also ensuring that operation in the facility shall return to normal as soon as possible.
Management must appoint a senior personnel to initiate recovery steps or actions to restore situations.
The same senior personnel should be responsible for the step-down procedure too.

21. Review of Emergency Plan and Preparedness
Emergency plan and preparedness are never complete nor fully effective and full proof.
A review of the emergency plan and preparedness must be made periodically to ensure it relevancy and accuracy in response.
Management must appoint competent person or committee to carry out the review of such plan and preparedness.

22. Accident Investigation and Reporting
Although accident is a negative output of system failure, its root causes, when fully identified can be use positively to prevent similar accident from recurring.
Subsequently, all accident must be notified, investigated and the results of such investigation reported and records kept.

23. Summary

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