Holy Cross is committed to the ALARA philosophy. ALARA is the acronym for "As Low As Reasonably Achievable." The ALARA philosophy applied to radiation safety programs is to maintain minimal levels of occupational radiation exposures and releases of radioactivity to the environment. The ALARA principle is practiced throughout the Radiation Safety Program. The Radiation Safety Officer conducts the reviews and audits . All requests for use of radioactive materials are considered by the Radiation Safety Officer to insure state license limits are not exceeded and that operations are conducted in an efficient manner by properly trained personnel. Continued radiation safety inspections insures that proper procedures are being used. Records of the inspections, surveys and personnel dosimetry records are maintained and compared to evaluate the success of ALARA program.
The Radiation Safety Manual contains the Radiation Safety Program procedures that are used to meet our regulatory obligations. This manual provides information on what the individual responsibilities are with respect to the Radiation Safety Program, what must be done to meet these responsibilities, and the associated procedures. The manual divides this information into the different types of individuals and their roles within the program.
Radiation Safety Training requirements:
All new faculty, staff and students attend the radiation safety Powerpoint presentation at their initial time of hire, and then pass a web-based radiation safety quiz on Moodle. The quiz consists of questions related to specific radiation safety rules at the College. All questions must be answered correctly to receive credit for the training. Once credit is received, notification is sent to faculty or staff indicating the student can begin working in the laboratory. Every year after attending the safety presentation, individuals are only required to take and pass the online quiz to be considered trained and eligible to work with radioactive materials. Notification of dates of safety presentations and quiz availability will be through campus email.