UAMS ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDE

NUMBER: 11.4.22
DATE: 12/9/1998
REVISION: 10/11/2004, 9/1/2007

PURPOSE
This policy is to notify departments within the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) of the procedures to be followed in the removal, disposal, and/or transfer of equipment that has been used in conjunction with radioactive materials. This equipment may contain radioactive contamination or may contain an internal radioactive calibration source. Equipment which may be affected by this policy, but not limited to, is: liquid scintillation counters, gamma counters, centrifuges, vacuum pumps, refrigerators, freezers, water baths, gel dryers, ovens, incubators, fume hoods, and biological hoods.

SCOPE

All UAMS employees, faculty and staff.

PROCEDURE

(1) Before equipment can be sent to the Management & Redistribution Center (M&R), returned to the vendor, transferred to another institution, or sent for repairs, it must be cleared of containing radioactive contamination containing an internal source of radioactivity (calibration source).

(2) Each affected department or research laboratory is responsible for notifying the Department of Occupational Health & Safety (686-7803) before the equipment is removed from the area.

(3) The Department of Occupational Health & Safety will conduct contamination swipes to determine the presence of radioactive material. If the equipment is free of contamination, a notice is placed on the equipment declaring it clean. The device may then be sent for repairs, returned to the vendor, transferred to another institution, or sent to M&R for disposal.

(4) If contamination is present on swipes, the requesting department or laboratory is responsible for cleaning the device and requesting a re-survey from Occupational Health & Safety. No equipment is to leave the UAMS Campus before it is cleared by the Department of Occupational Health & Safety.

SIGNATURE: ________________________________  DATE: _________________________