March 18, 1997

APS TECHNICAL UPDATE - No. 15

Subject: Policy for Management of Low-Activity Sealed Radioactive Calibration Sources by APS Users

For additional information contact:

Julie Cross - User Technical Interface
jox@aps.anl.gov
Telephone - 630.252.0592

Updated: October 4, 2007

 

Policy for Management of Low-Activity Sealed Radioactive Calibration Sources
by APS Users

Scope

This policy describes how APS users will manage low-activity (less than 5 mCi) radioactive calibration sources that are certified* as sealed. The guidelines are based on federal regulations and Chapters 5-12 and 5-20 of the ANL ESH Manual. It should be noted that sources in the above category, if brought to ANL for periods of less than 60 days, are exempt from the leak-testing and site-wide inventory provisions of Chapter 5-20.

Roles and Responsibilities

  1. APS users will make advance arrangements through the AES Sealed Source Custodian for all shipments of radioactive sources to and from ANL and between noncontiguous buildings on the site. ANL's Special Materials Section will manage all such shipments. Prior to shipment, Special Materials personnel will assign a control number to the shipment and will provide instructions on the proper packaging, labeling, and addressing of the shipment. Receipt and delivery of sources purchased through APS User Accounts will be managed by ANL Receiving and Health Physics personnel as described in Chapter 5-12 of the ANL ESH Manual. Under no circumstances may sealed radioactive sources be transported from one ANL location to another in a personal vehicle.
  2. Each CAT will appoint a source custodian
  3. As soon as possible after a new source arrives at the APS, the source custodian will document it by completing a New Source Entry Form and sending a copy to the AES SSID Coordinator. Blank forms are available from the Office of the AES ES&H Coordinator. The source custodian will give the AES SSID Coordinator an inventory update every 6 months, and within 15 days after any significant change.
  4. The source custodian will ensure that the sources are properly labeled, stored, and tested for integrity on a periodic basis as described in Chapter 5-20. The sources should be stored in a locked cabinet, which is used only for that purpose. The preferred location for the cabinet is in one of the LOM labs assigned to the CAT; this lab will then be designated as a controlled area.
  5. The custodian will also be responsible for knowing the location of all sources at all times, authorizing users of the sources, and will ensure that all necessary records are maintained. The Sealed Source Checkout Record form (model available from AES ESH Coordinator) will be used to track locations; any authorized user who checks out a source will enter the indicated information on this form.
  6. Authorized users will ensure that sealed sources are not left unattended and unsecured while checked out, and will return them promptly after use. The source custodian may designate temporary storage locations where sealed sources can be secured while checked out. A sealed source that is in use inside a radiation enclosure for a calibration will be considered "secured" for the duration of the calibration period if all doors to the enclosure are closed and posted with appropriate signs.
  7. Authorized users may move sealed sources between controlled areas within the APS facility (for example, to the Experiment Hall floor from the LOM lab where the source is stored); the user will promptly enter the new location on the Sealed Source Checkout Record.

* Per ANL ESH Manual, Chapter 5-20, "Accountability and Control of Sealed Radioactive Sources".

Updated: October 4, 2007