RSO Training, Emergency Preparedness, and Administration 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: NRC regulations require that radiation safety training for workers be provided:
- Only once at initial hire
- Before workers begin work in or frequenting restricted areas, and refreshed as necessary (Correct answer)
- Every 5 years regardless of job duties
- Only for workers who handle unsealed radioactive sources
Correct answer: Before workers begin work in or frequenting restricted areas, and refreshed as necessary
10 CFR 19.12 requires licensees to provide radiation safety training to workers before they work in or frequent restricted areas, with refresher training as needed based on job changes or new hazards.
Question 2: A radiation emergency response plan for a nuclear medicine department must include all of the following EXCEPT:
- Procedures for responding to spills of radioactive material
- Contact information for the RSO and emergency services
- A list of all workers' personal financial information (Correct answer)
- Procedures for personnel decontamination
Correct answer: A list of all workers' personal financial information
Emergency plans must address response procedures, notification chains, decontamination, and escalation protocols, but personal financial information of workers is not a required element.
Question 3: Following a significant radioactive spill, the priority order for response actions is:
- Notify NRC → evacuate → contain spill → survey
- Ensure personnel safety → contain the spill → survey to define extent → notify appropriate parties (Correct answer)
- Call the fire department first → evacuate building → notify RSO
- Clean up spill immediately → notify RSO → document
Correct answer: Ensure personnel safety → contain the spill → survey to define extent → notify appropriate parties
The standard spill response priority is: protect people first, then contain the spill to prevent spread, survey to define contamination boundaries, notify the RSO and other required parties, and then decontaminate.
Question 4: Under NRC regulations, workers have the right to receive radiation safety training information including:
- The NRC license number only
- Storage locations of radioactive materials only
- The radiation dose they have received and the results of any surveys or monitoring in their work area (Correct answer)
- The licensee's financial information regarding radiation safety budgets
Correct answer: The radiation dose they have received and the results of any surveys or monitoring in their work area
10 CFR 19.13 requires licensees to provide workers with their dose records and the results of radiation surveys in their work area upon request, ensuring workers can make informed decisions about their exposure.
Question 5: A radiation safety committee (RSC) is typically required at:
- All NRC licensees regardless of size
- Broadscope or major research facilities with diverse radiation use programs (Correct answer)
- Only nuclear power plants
- Any facility using more than 1 mCi of any radionuclide
Correct answer: Broadscope or major research facilities with diverse radiation use programs
Radiation Safety Committees are required for broad-scope licensees (such as major research universities and hospitals with diverse programs) to provide oversight of the radiation safety program.
Question 6: When a new radiation worker is added to the license, the RSO must ensure that the worker:
- Has a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a physical science
- Receives appropriate training and is authorized under the license before beginning work with radioactive materials (Correct answer)
- Pays a fee to the NRC directly
- Passes an NRC-administered written examination
Correct answer: Receives appropriate training and is authorized under the license before beginning work with radioactive materials
The RSO must ensure new workers receive training appropriate to their job duties and are listed as authorized under the license before handling radioactive materials.
RSO Training, Emergency Preparedness, and Administration 1
NRC regulations require that radiation safety training for workers be provided: