Importancia de la lectura y análisis de la obra Baldomera

6.25. Recommendations on the notification and reporting of incidents are provided in Section 13.

TESTING AND CALIBRATION OF DOSIMETRY EQUIPMENT

6.26. Dosimeters should be of an approved type and should be subjected to periodic quality assurance tests. Personal dosimetry systems should be calibrated periodically (typically every one or two years), with more frequent checks being conducted on the performance of the system. National regulations may require different frequencies of calibration. Recommendations on the testing and calibration of dosimeters and dosimetry equipment are provided in GSG-7 [19].

(e) Around the transport package before transporting radioactive sources to and from the site, to confirm the presence of the source, and also to demonstrate compliance with IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-6 (Rev. 1), Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, 2018 Edition [22] (see Section 12);

(f) Around vehicles transporting radioactive sources before departure to and from the site, including at the driver’s seat.

7.3. It might be necessary to perform periodic checks for radioactive contamination on accessible surfaces of the logging tool or radioactive source at time intervals specified by the regulatory body. Monitoring for radioactive contamination within the well logging operational area, on the surface of the transport package or on well logging workers is not normally necessary.

7.4. The operating organization should consider the need to monitor logging tools for radioactive contamination due to naturally occurring radioactive material. If contamination due to naturally occurring radioactive material is detected, the operating organization should ensure that the tool is decontaminated and the resulting waste is disposed of. Practical guidance on the radiation safety and waste management aspects of naturally occurring radioactive material is provided in Ref. [23]. If it is known that naturally occurring radioactive material is present in areas where well logging operations are to be performed, the operating organization should cooperate closely with the client to agree on suitable arrangements to prevent the spread of radioactive contamination and to dispose of any waste arising.

7.5. The workplace monitoring programme should describe the locations to be monitored, the frequency of monitoring and the records to be kept. This information should be included in the local rules and should also be described in the radiation protection programme. Dose rate investigation levels (see para. 4.30) for each measurement location should be prescribed, and the actions to be taken if these values are exceeded should be specified. Records of the workplace monitoring programme are required to be made available to appropriate persons, including workers and the regulatory body (see paras 2.45 and 3.98 of GSR Part 3 [9]).

SELECTION, MAINTENANCE AND CALIBRATION OF WORKPLACE MONITORING INSTRUMENTS

7.6. The operating organization should ensure that a sufficient number of suitable dose rate monitors are made available. While there are many types of

monitor for measuring gamma radiation levels, some might not be suitable for accurately measuring low energy photons (e.g. from ²⁴¹Am), which could result in an underestimation of the dose rate. Monitors should be calibrated in terms of the radiation fields likely to be encountered in the workplace. Specialized monitoring instruments are necessary for the measurement of neutron radiation.

Information and guidance on the suitability of monitors should be obtained from manufacturers and from qualified experts.

7.7. The operating organization should arrange for workplace monitoring instruments to be formally tested or calibrated at periodic intervals by a specialized testing laboratory. A number of operating characteristics of the monitoring instrument should be assessed in these tests or calibrations. These operating characteristics include the response to known dose rates at specific energies, the linearity of the response, and the behaviour of the monitor at low dose rates and at very high dose rates. The frequency and the method of testing or calibration, together with the associated record keeping, should comply with regulatory requirements, or else they should be as recommended in appropriate international guidelines. The operating organization should also follow the recommendations of the manufacturer of the workplace monitoring instruments.

7.8. The operating organization should prepare a procedure for undertaking routine operational checks of workplace monitoring instruments. These checks might include physical checks of whether the instrument is damaged, battery checks and, if required, zeroing of the scale. The response of the monitor to radiation should also be checked. This can be done, for example, by using a low activity test source, or by placing the instrument close to the surface of a transport package containing a radioactive source. The regulatory body may require that such checks be performed in accordance with formal procedures and that the results be recorded.

7.9. Account should be taken of the conditions in which workplace monitoring instruments are to be used. Some instruments are unsuitable for use in very humid or very hot locations, and some are not robust enough for use at a well logging site. On some sites where well logging work is performed, special types of workplace monitoring instrument might have to be used. For example, in many oil and gas facilities, only monitoring instruments that are designed to minimize the likelihood of accidental ignition of flammable fumes or vapours (‘intrinsically safe monitoring instruments’) are allowed to be used.

7.10. Some workplace monitoring instruments are affected by radiofrequency transmissions. If well logging is to be performed close to equipment that

generates high levels of radiofrequency radiation, then consideration should be given to the use of specially designed instruments that are shielded from radiofrequency interference.

7.11. Account should also be taken of noise levels in the workplace. Audible warning signals from workplace monitoring instruments should be loud enough to be heard, and they should be supplemented by vibration or visual signals, as appropriate.