Wisconsin Legislature: DHS 157.27(3)(a)3.b.

2. A control device that energizes a conspicuous visible or audible alarm signal so that the individual entering the high radiation area and the supervisor of the area are made aware of the entry.

3. Entryways that are locked, except during periods when access to the areas is required, with control over each individual entry.

(b) In place of the controls required under par. (a) for a high radiation area, a licensee or registrant may substitute continuous direct or electronic surveillance that is capable of preventing unauthorized entry.

(c) A licensee or registrant may apply to the department for approval of alternative methods for controlling access to high radiation areas.

(d) A licensee or registrant shall establish the controls required under par. (a) 1. and 3. in a way that does not prevent individuals from leaving a high radiation area.

(e) A licensee or registrant is not required to control each entrance or access point to a room or other area that is a high radiation area solely because of the presence of radioactive materials prepared for transport and packaged and labeled under the regulations of the U.S. department of transportation provided that all of the following conditions are met:

1. The packages do not remain in the area longer than 3 days.

2. The dose rate at one meter from the external surface of any package does not exceed 0.1 mSv (10 mrem) per hour.

(f) A licensee or registrant is not required to control entrance or access to rooms or other areas in hospitals solely because of the presence of patients containing radioactive material, provided there are personnel in attendance who are taking the necessary precautions to prevent the exposure of individuals to radiation or radioactive material in excess of the established limits in this subchapter and to operate within the ALARA provisions of the licensee’s or registrant’s radiation protection program.

(g) A registrant is not required to control entrance or access to rooms or other areas containing sources of radiation capable of producing a high radiation area if the registrant has met all the specific requirements for access and control specified in other applicable parts of this chapter, such as subch. IV for industrial radiography and subch. VIII for x-rays in the healing arts and accelerators.

(2) Control of access to very high radiation areas.

(a) In addition to the requirements in sub. (1), a licensee or registrant shall institute measures to ensure that an individual is not able to gain unauthorized or inadvertent access to areas in which radiation levels could be encountered at 5 Gy (500 rad) or more in one hour at one meter from a source of radiation or any surface through which the radiation penetrates. This requirement does not apply to rooms or areas in which diagnostic x-ray systems are the only source of radiation or to non-self-shielded irradiators.

(b) A licensee or registrant is not required to control entrance or access to rooms or other areas containing sources of radiation capable of producing a very high radiation area as described in par. (a) if the licensee or registrant has met all the specific requirements for access and control specified in other applicable parts of this chapter, such as subch. IV for industrial radiography and subch. VIII for x-rays in the healing arts and accelerators.

History: CR 01-108: cr. Register July 2002 No. 559, eff. 8-1-02.

DHS 157.27 Respiratory protection and controls to restrict internal exposure in restricted areas.

(1) Use of process or other engineering controls. A licensee or registrant shall use, to the extent practical, process or other engineering controls, such as containment, decontamination or ventilation, to control the concentrations of radioactive material in air.

(2) Use of other controls.

(a) When it is not practical to apply process or other engineering controls to control the concentrations of radioactive material in air to values below those that define an airborne radioactivity area, a licensee or registrant shall increase monitoring and limit intakes by one or more of the following means:

1. Control of access.

2. Limitation of exposure times.

3. Use of respiratory protection equipment.

4. Other controls.

(b) If a licensee or registrant performs an ALARA analysis to determine whether or not respirators should be used, a licensee or registrant may also consider the impact of respirator use on workers’ industrial health and safety.

(3) Use of individual respiratory protection equipment.

(a) If a licensee or registrant uses respiratory protection equipment to limit intakes under sub. (2), all of the following criteria shall apply:

1. Except as provided in subd. 2., a licensee or registrant shall use only respiratory protection equipment that is tested and certified by the U.S. national institute for occupational safety and health.

2. A licensee or registrant may use equipment that has not been tested or certified by the U.S. national institute for occupational safety or for which there is no schedule for testing or certification, provided the licensee or registrant has submitted to the department and the department has approved a request for authorized use of that equipment. The request shall include documentation of a demonstration by testing, or a demonstration on the basis of test information, that the material and performance characteristics of the equipment are capable of providing the proposed degree of protection under anticipated conditions of use.

3. A licensee or registrant shall implement and maintain a respiratory protection program that includes all of the following:

a. Air sampling sufficient to identify the potential hazard, permit proper equipment selection and estimate doses.

b. Surveys and bioassays, as necessary, to evaluate actual intakes.

c. Testing of respirators for operability immediately prior to each use.

4. A licensee or registrant shall have written procedures regarding all of the following:

a. Monitoring, including air sampling and bioassays.

b. Supervision and training of respirator users.

c. Fit testing.

d. Respirator selection.

e. Breathing air quality.

f. Inventory and control.

g. Storage, issuance, maintenance, repair, testing and quality assurance of respiratory protection equipment.

h. Record keeping of all items in this subd. par.

i. Limitations on periods of respirator use and relief from respirator use.

5. Prior to initial fitting of respirators, and at least every 12 months thereafter, a physician shall determine that the individual user is physically able to use the respiratory protection equipment.

6. Fit testing, with a fit factor >/= 10 times the assigned protection factor for negative pressure devices, and a fit factor >/= 500 for any positive pressure, continuous flow, and pressure-demand devices, before the first field use of tight fitting, face-sealing respirators and periodically thereafter at a frequency not to exceed one year. Fit testing shall be performed with the facepiece operating in the negative pressure mode.

(b) A licensee shall advise each respirator user that the user may leave the area at any time for relief from respirator use in the event of equipment malfunction, physical or psychological distress, procedural or communication failure, significant deterioration of operating conditions, or any other conditions that might require such relief.

(c) A licensee shall also consider limitations appropriate to the type and mode of use. When selecting respiratory devices the licensee shall provide for vision correction, adequate communication, low temperature work environments, and the concurrent use of other safety or radiological protection equipment. The licensee shall use equipment in such a way as not to interfere with the proper operation of the respirator.

(d) Standby rescue persons are required whenever one-piece atmosphere-supplying suits, or any combination of supplied air respiratory protection device and personnel protective equipment are used from which an unaided individual would have difficulty extricating himself or herself. The standby persons shall be equipped with respiratory protection devices or other apparatus appropriate for the potential hazards. The standby rescue persons shall observe or otherwise maintain continuous communication with the workers via visual, voice, signal line, telephone, radio, or other suitable means, and be immediately available to assist them in case of a failure of the air supply or for any other reason that requires relief from distress. A sufficient number of standby rescue persons shall be immediately available to assist all users of this type of equipment and to provide effective emergency rescue if needed.

Note: Examples of means of continuous communication are visual, voice, signal line, telephone, radio or other suitable means.

(e) Atmosphere-supplying respirators shall be supplied with respirable air that meets the following requirements:

1. Oxygen content of 19.5-23.5 percent.

2. Condensed hydrocarbon content of 5 milligrams per cubic meter of air or less.

3. Carbon monoxide content of 10 ppm or less.

4. Carbon dioxide content of 1,000 ppm or less.

5. Lack of noticeable odor.

(f) A licensee or registrant shall ensure that no objects, materials or substances, such as facial hair, or any conditions that interfere with the face to facepiece seal or valve function, and that are under the control of the respirator wearer, are present between the skin of the wearer’s face and the sealing surface of a tight-fitting respirator facepiece.

(g) In estimating the dose to individuals from intake of airborne radioactive materials, the concentration of radioactive material in the air that is inhaled when respirators are worn is initially assumed to be the ambient concentration in air without respiratory protection, divided by the assigned protection factor. If the dose is later found to be greater than the estimated dose, the corrected value must be used. If the dose is later found to be less than the estimated dose, the corrected value may be used.

(4) Application for use of higher assigned protection factors.

(a) A licensee or registrant shall obtain authorization from the department before using assigned protection factors in excess of those specified in ch. DHS 157 Appendix D.

(b) The department may authorize a licensee or registrant to use higher assigned protection factors on receipt of an application that meets the following criteria:

1. Describes the situation for which a need exists for higher protection factors.

2. Demonstrates that the respiratory protection equipment provides these higher protection factors under the proposed conditions of use.

History: CR 01-108: cr. Register July 2002 No. 559, eff. 8-1-02; correction in (4) (a) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register January 2018 No. 745.

DHS 157.28 Storage and control of licensed or registered sources of radiation.

(1) Security and control of licensed or registered radioactive material.

(a) Security of stored radioactive material. A licensee or registrant shall secure licensed or registered radioactive material that is stored in an unrestricted area from unauthorized removal or access.

(b) Control of radioactive material not in storage. A licensee or registrant shall maintain constant surveillance, or use devices or administrative procedures, to prevent unauthorized use of licensed or registered radioactive material that is in an unrestricted area and that is not in storage.

(2) Security and control of registered radiation machines.

(a) A registrant shall secure registered radiation machines from unauthorized removal.

(b) A registrant shall use devices or administrative procedures to prevent unauthorized use of registered radiation machines.

History: CR 01-108: cr. Register July 2002 No. 559, eff. 8-1-02; CR 06-021: am. (1) (a) Register October 2006 No. 610, eff. 11-1-06.

DHS 157.29 Precautionary procedures.

(1) Caution signs.

(a) Standard radiation symbol. Unless otherwise authorized by the department, the standard radiation symbol shall use the colors magenta, purple or black on a yellow background and shall be the 3-bladed design depicted in Figure DHS 157.29.

Figure DHS 157.29. Radiation Symbol

1. Cross-hatched area is to be magenta, purple or black.

2. The background is to be yellow.

(b) Exception to color requirements for standard radiation symbol. Notwithstanding the requirements of par. (a), a licensee or registrant is authorized to label sources, source holders or device components containing sources of radiation that are subjected to high temperatures with conspicuously etched or stamped radiation caution symbols and without a color requirement.

(c) Additional information on signs and labels. In addition to the contents of signs and labels prescribed in this section, a licensee or registrant may provide, on or near the required signs and labels, additional information, as appropriate, to make individuals aware of potential radiation exposures and to minimize the exposures.

(2) Posting requirements.

(a) Posting of radiation areas. A licensee or registrant shall post a conspicuous sign or signs bearing the radiation symbol and the words “CAUTION, RADIATION AREA” in each radiation area.

(b) Posting of high radiation areas. A licensee or registrant shall post a conspicuous sign or signs bearing the radiation symbol and the words “CAUTION, HIGH RADIATION AREA” or “DANGER, HIGH RADIATION AREA” in each high radiation area.

(c) Posting of very high radiation areas. A licensee or registrant shall post a conspicuous sign or signs bearing the radiation symbol and the words “EXTREME DANGER, VERY HIGH RADIATION AREA” or “GRAVE DANGER, VERY HIGH RADIATION AREA” in each very high radiation area.

(d) Posting of airborne radioactivity areas. A licensee or registrant shall post a conspicuous sign or signs bearing the radiation symbol and the words “CAUTION, AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY AREA” or “DANGER, AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY AREA” in each airborne radioactivity area.

(e) Posting of areas or rooms in which licensed or registered material is used or stored. A licensee or registrant shall post a conspicuous sign or signs bearing the radiation symbol and the words “CAUTION, RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL(S)” or “DANGER, RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL(S)” in each area or room in which there is used or stored an amount of licensed or registered material exceeding 10 times the quantity of the material specified in ch. DHS 157 Appendix F.

(3) Exceptions to posting requirements.

(a) A licensee or registrant is not required to post caution signs in areas or rooms containing sources of radiation for periods of less than 8 hours if all of the following conditions are met:

1. The sources of radiation are constantly attended during these periods by an individual who takes the precautions necessary to prevent the exposure of individuals to sources of radiation in excess of the limits established in this subchapter.

2. The area or room is subject to the licensee’s or registrant’s control.

(b) Rooms or other areas in hospitals that are occupied by patients are not required to be posted with caution signs under sub. (2) provided that the requirements of s. DHS 157.64 (2) (a) or 157.65 (4) (a) are met.