Ionizing Radiation at Acme Manufacturing: Assessing Risk & Effects - Essay Sample

Introduction

Acme manufacturing company use ionizing radiation, which provides excellent benefits to society and the employees in general. It is crucial for workers to work in a safe work environment where they are not exposed to the risk of heat radiation, which either shortens their lifespan. The purpose of the report is to determine the level or the likelihood in which the employees of this organization are exposed to radiation. Furthermore, the research or investigation is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of engineering controls, including shielding, to ensure that all the workers work in a safe working environment. This report is addressed to the Board of directors with recommendations to minimize the risk that expose workers to radiation.

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Test Equipment and Repair Facility

The equipment and repair facility of the company was conducted on the site to determine the level of radiation it exposes employees to. The test was done to test is the equipment are in good condition because when they are down, they are likely to expose workers to the risk of radiation. The findings of the test show that there is some equipment which is the source of radiation and therefore, the employees are required to work close to such material for a few hours. The test indicates that the employees of this organization are not substantially exposed to these sources of radiation because the radiation produced from this equipment is less than ten Sv/h and therefore have no more significant effect on the health of the workers. At the same time, the radiation at the surface of this equipment is also less than 250 Sv/h making equipment less risky to expose workers to a high level of pollution.

Notwithstanding the close radiation rate for all the regions next to the equipment of the company accessible to both employees and other company stakeholders such as customers is also less than 0.5 Sv/h. The company management has ensured that the equipment is shielded to ensure that the employees do not get direct radiation from the equipment. The company also uses operating procedures to minimize to reduce the distance from the source of radiation.

The company has developed a course of actions that reduce the amount of time that the employees remain exposed to radiation of the company equipment. This is because the risk of radiation is equal to the radiation absorbed dose, and it is independent of the dose rate. Therefore the company has ensured that workers take few hours working within the equipment facility to allow them to have a minimum time in the equipment facility. It means that the company complies with the radiation protection Act 1965 which require any business organization to ensure that all the workers using equipment producing radiation takes few hours and also must install lead shield or guarantee that the distance from the equipment facility is longer to minimize radiation. The employees of this organization are not exposed to radiation at a greater extent because they comply with the requirement code of practices and the radiation safety standards. Time is the quantity of radiation a person accumulates relies on the duration the person takes within the radiation field.

Bench3L1 = 110mr/h

D1=0.5ft

D2=2ft

D2 = 110mr/h)(0.5ft)22ft =27.5/2 =13.75rm/hr Bench 5

(137) (1.5ft)2/3ft =308rm/h/3=102.75 Rm/h

Bench 6

102rm/h (0.75)2/1.5=38.25rm/h

The result of the calculation of the exposure rate to the radiation source when the lead shield is placed at a distance of 5cm is as shown above. It indicates that it reduces the exposure rate of workers to radiation, and this reduces the risk that the employees can face due to radiation coming from the equipment facility of the company.

Radar Testing Facility

The test was also conducted on radar facilities to ensure that the company understands the extent to which the employees are exposed to radiation from radar facilities. When testing a radar facility, we had to estimate the power density level for fields located next to the facility and those located far away (Yates, 2015). Near and far-field of radar are used in determining the power density of radar. The distance between the source of radiation and the antenna depends on the geometric dimension of the source dominant wavelength. It took us a few hours to ascertain the result, and it was positive. The result of the analysis was as follows:

Radar Unit 1

L1= 50000 (Far Field) (W/cm2)

D1=48cm

D2=150ft

Near field =2 x 48 x4850000 = 0.09216 W/cm2

Formula for PD far-field = 2 x 150 x15050000 =0.9 W/cm2 Radar Unit 2

L1 =110000

D1=26

D2=150

Near field = 2 x26x26 110000 =0.0123 W/cm2

Far-field = 2 x 150 x150110000 =0.4091 W/cm2

The result of the assessment indicated that there is a very low power density arising from the radar. The effect of the power density of the detector cannot significantly harm the employees, although there are other measures which Acme manufacturing company need to put in place to enhance safety measures against radiation.

Laser Laboratory

There are several safety control measures that Acme manufacturing company must consider when designing Laser Laboratory with classes such as III, IIIA, and IIIB. These safety measures will ensure that the employees are free from radiation from the laboratory facility. When designing Laser laboratory class III-A and IIIB, it is essential to consider having access control. The laboratory must have door interlock system, electronic lock, or posting. The choice of this system depends on the condition of a laser beam that the company expects to use. The laboratory should also have illuminated warning signs to act as a visual indicator showing that the laser is being used. It must have an emergency crash-off switch to control the laser power supply in the laboratory room (Yates, 2015). This kind of switch can be located inside the lab or both inside and outside. To ensure that the laboratory is as safe as possible, these are required for the exterior design of the laser laboratory. The interior design of the Laser laboratory must also beam pointing away from the doorway as this is a safety measure which minimizes radiation from reaching the workers. At the same time, optical tables must also have barriers to prevent pollution from reaching employees. To ensure that workers are safer, it is essential to set up some blocked areas to create a space for a laser-free zone. Perimeter guard plastics should also be installed to diffuse reflections from any extra beam.

Conclusion

Acme manufacturing company must ensure that it complies with radiation protection Act 1965 to ensure that its employees are not at risk of the effect of radiation from equipment, radar, and laser laboratory. It must also comply with other acts such as radiation regulation 1982, the national radiation laboratory code of practice, and the company policies and radiation safety plans aimed at minimizing the effect of radiation on workers. The company must also have a license authorizing it to use radiation sources which can harm the employees. These set of standards ensure that workers work in radiation-free areas, and this minimizes the risk of radiation.

References

Yates, W (2015).Safety Professional's Reference and study guide (2nd Edition).Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press