This Handbook was prepared in 2009 by the Australian Uranium Association. If you are a worker in the mining and resources industries who mines or processes radioactive materials, or treats radioactive wastes, you can be exposed to radiation. This radiation dose must be kept ‘As Low As Reasonably Achievable’, and below the legal limit for radiation workers. On average, radiation workers get annual doses between a tenth and a quarter of the allowable limit. However the radiation exposures you receive in your workplace do need to be controlled and monitored.
You can get a radiation dose at work via four ‘dose delivery pathways’.
• gamma ‘shine’ (irradiation) e.g. from outcrops or stockpiles of ore;
• inhalation of radioactive alpha emitting dusts or fumes;
• ingestion of radionuclides in dust, food or water; and
• inhalation of radon decay progeny (or ‘radon daughters’) in mine air....especially if you smoke tobaccos.
Over a generation’s worth of studies, annual reports, and government audits showcase Australia’s robust regulatory system and the scientific integrity of this system. Australian uranium operations have been shown to keep doses to their workers and people living in nearby towns well below internationally
accepted limits and do not impact the environment outside the disturbed area of the immediate mining and processing operations.
This experience has given Australia a leadership role in mining radiation safety. Keep up the good work.
Final ‘Do’s and ‘Don’t’s ....
Do - Follow instructions given in your Radiation Safety Manual and Induction
Do - Comply with Safe Work Permits and Standard Operating Procedures
Do - Care for monitoring equipment entrusted to you
Do - Wash hands and face before meals and coffee breaks
Do - Shower at end of shift
Do - Ensure any equipment leaving company control is fi rst cleaned and checked for contamination
Do - Report anything that might be considered a ‘radiation incident’
Do - Take an interest in your dose results and discuss control methods
Don’t - eat or smoke except in clean, approved areas
Don’t - lick rock samples
Don’t - spread contamination offsite
Don’t - take any samples as souvenirs unless formally checked & cleared
Do - check with your Supervisor or the RSO if there is anything you want more information on.
Websites for further information:
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency www.arpansa.gov.au
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization www.ansto.gov.au
International Commission on Radiological Protection www.icrp.org
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation www.unscear.org
Radiation Effects Research Foundation www.rerf.org.jp
Thanks to all in the Radiation Workers’ Handbook Working Group for your time, comments and input.
This book was published through the aegis of the Australian Uranium Association and the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.
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