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Chapter 9 Table of Contents. View the entire chapter in a PDF format. Please use the pdf for printing.

Requirements:
General (Section 5.1)

Radiation Protection Program (Section 5.1.1)

DOE facilities like SLAC are required by 10 CFR 835 to establish and maintain a formal radiation protection program. SLAC has created an RPP that has been approved by DOE, described in the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Radiation Protection Program Plan for Implementing 10 CFR 835. [pdf]

The SLAC RPP is designed to protect the health and safety of the work force and the public. SLAC achieves radiological safety by implementing its RPP to ensure individual and collective doses are below regulatory limits and are ALARA. ALARA and its practice constitute the conceptual foundation of the RPP.

The Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Radiation Protection Program Plan for Implementing 10 CFR 835 consists of the following three parts:

Part 1: Overview
The overview describes the documents used by SLAC to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, as well as a description of the SLAC facility and its operations.
Part 2: SLAC ALARA Statement
The SLAC ALARA statement commits SLAC to utilize both engineering controls (passive and active) and administrative controls to maintain doses ALARA.
Part 3: Compliance Statements and Implementation Documents
Part 3 links each regulation in 10 CFR 835 with the relevant SLAC document(s) that describe how SLAC will implement that regulation.

Implementation

The RPP has been designed to provide all personnel with a radiologically safe and healthy work environment. This goal is achieved by the following principles:

Evaluating potential radiological hazards and implementing appropriate controls
Surveying work areas to identify radiological hazards
Implementing engineering controls when and where feasible
Implementing administrative controls when or where engineering controls are not feasible or sufficient
Training personnel to recognize radiological hazards and control postings, and to take appropriate safety measures when working under radiological conditions
Providing radiation dosimetry services when required

Implementation of the radiological safety program starts with evaluating in design and operational phases the radiological hazards associated with SLAC activities. Line managers and supervisors will work together with RP subject matter experts to identify and evaluate radiological hazards. Proper safety controls are then implemented, activities are monitored, and results are reviewed to improve the process.

Section 5 provides a brief overview of RPP requirements that apply to all SLAC and non-SLAC personnel who require access to areas where radiological hazards may exist, as defined in Section 4.

As Low as Reasonably Achievable (Section 5.1.2)

ALARA is the conceptual foundation of 10 CFR 835 and the SLAC RPP. This section outlines how ALARA is implemented at SLAC, defines SLAC ALARA criteria, and includes methods for demonstrating compliance.

ALARA Criteria and Policy

The current system of radiological protection is based on three general criteria: justification, optimization, and dose and risk limitation:

Justification is demonstrating the need for any activity that generates radiation exposure on the criteria that the expected benefits to society from the activity exceed the overall social detriments.
Optimization is ensuring the benefits of justified activities or practices are maximized and social detriments minimized, taking into account economic and social factors.
Dose and risk limitation is applying dose limits to ensure individuals or groups of individuals do not exceed acceptable levels of risk.

Consistent with these criteria, the RPP commits SLAC to maintaining radiological exposures within regulatory and administrative dose limits, and to demonstrating these exposures are ALARA.

RPP Elements for Implementing and Demonstrating ALARA

The following RPP elements implement and demonstrate the practice of ALARA at SLAC.

Management Commitment

The SLAC management goal is to ensure commitment and participation at all management and workforce levels in the RPP. To accomplish this goal, SLAC has established programs in the following areas:

Assignment of responsibilities. Specific responsibilities have been assigned to line management and radiological workers involved in implementing the RPP.
Administrative control levels for occupational workers. SLAC has adopted an annual radiation dose limit for occupational workers that is lower than the regulatory limit of 5,000 mrem total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) per year. The SLAC administrative control limit is 1,500 mrem TEDE for radiological worker training (RWT) workers and 100 mrem for general employee radiological training (GERT) workers per year (see Section 5.2.3.4, “Area and Worker Classification“.").
Additionally, each individual radiological worker should have a dose-management "ALARA Level" of a maximum of 360 mrem TEDE per year above natural background levels of radiation.
ALARA Goals. Each Directorate should adopt or set for occupational workers a value lower than the maximum value of 360 mrem TEDE per year.

Radiological Performance Goals

SLAC has established an index of radiological performance goals, which is reviewed regularly for program improvements.

ALARA Training

SLAC requires training for personnel involved with any aspect of radiological operations. ALARA practices are presented as part of this training (see Section 5.3.).

Plans and Procedures

SLAC integrates measures and provides direction during specific operations for maintaining occupational exposures ALARA. All radiological work at SLAC must be authorized and conducted by appropriately trained personnel following written procedures in conjunction with Radiological Work Permits (see Section 5.2.).

Internal Audits / Assessments

SLAC periodically (but no less than once every 36 months) conducts comprehensive audits of its radiological safety program and reports results to the highest management levels.

Optimization Methodology

SLAC uses optimization methods to ensure occupational radiation doses will be maintained ALARA as part of developing and justifying facility designs. Physical controls are used during the building of new facilities or during major modifications of established facilities. Administrative procedures may also be used where facilities have been rebuilt or upgraded or are operated under accelerator running conditions that differ from the design parameters.

Radiological Design Review

SLAC ensures integration of appropriate methods to maintain occupational doses ALARA during the design process.

Radiological Work / Experiment Planning

SLAC integrates measures and controls to maintain occupational doses ALARA for specific operations and experiments.

Records

SLAC compiles and maintains auditable records of all radiological safety activities and outcomes to further demonstrate RPP compliance.

continue to Requirements, Roles & Responsibilities (5.1.3)

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Requirements: General (Section 5.1)