DECONTAMINATION CONTRACTOR TIPS

NORM decontamination is a licensed activity in states that have NORM-specific regulations, and requires both programmed (scheduled) and unannounced field inspections by state agencies. Since these contractors have the opportunity to be inspected on any temporary jobsite where decontamination activities are conducted, they are accustomed to maintaining the necessary records and documents on each jobsite. As a license requirement, a qualified Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) must be present at the jobsite while the decontamination activity takes place. Therefore the RSO will not be permitted to leave the site unless the activity is ceased, or if the RSO is relieved by another qualified RSO.

Reputable decontamination contractors should remove the highest levels of contamination at the jobsite first, alleviating bleed-off to other less-contaminated areas and equipment. Most decontamination contractors issue dosimetry badges to their workers, which are worn on the outside layer of clothing, on the trunk of their body. Each decontamination contractor is responsible for determining the dose of their workers and to ensure that no member of the general public exceeds their limit resulting from the decontamination activities. This can be done with air monitoring, so the presence of air pumps at the site should be visible. Field paperwork, such as surveys, frisk pages, and Radiation Work Permits (RWPs) should accompany the RSO.