Submitted by Ms. Cath Barnett on
How to run effective technical services for individual monitoring during a pandemic
The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill, introducing new challenges, also faced by technical services in radiation protection and safety. Technical service providers such as individual monitoring services (IMS) and calibration laboratories have been affected despite the continuous need for monitoring of occupationally exposed workers in certain sectors. For example, in healthcare, the services were confronted with a demand for monitoring of of workers not regularly exposed to radiation during the course of their work, longer monitoring periods and its impact on dose assessment.
The experts from IAEA, Belgium and Greece will discuss how existing and new guidance for technical service providers during the current COVID-19 pandemic. They will discuss challenges and introduce tips in line with IAEA International Basic Safety Standards (GSR Part 3) and IAEA General Safety Guide on Occupational Radiation Protection (GSG-7).
The European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS), a network of more than 79 European institutions, has recently issued recommendations for the operation of technical service providers for protection and safety of staff and other stakeholders involved in dosimetry during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendations should be used as a guide, which can accompany, but not substitute the relevant approved national requirements. In addition, IMS have modified their procedures for their own workers to avoid any cross contamination.
Participants of the webinar will learn about:
- Adoption of the IAEA GSR Part 3 requirements and GSG-7 guidance for technical service providers during the current COVID-19 pandemic
- EURADOS recommendations for technical service providers to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic
- Strategies for practical implementation by service providers
- Experience of the IAEA Radiation Safety Technical Services
Presenters
Filip Vanhavere is the Head of the Group Radiation Protection Dosimetry and Calibration. This group is doing research on all types of dosimetric applications, both in nuclear and medical fields, and delivers services in the field of dosimetry, calibration and anthropogammametry. Since 2018 he is also deputy director of the Institute of Environment, Health and Safety at the SCK CEN. He is the Associate Editor for the Journal Radiation Measurements. He was the coordinator of the projects ORAMED and PODIUM, and chair of the IM2015 conference. He is author and co-author of more than 190 publications in a wide range of international journals.Filip Vanhavere is active in EURADOS since 1998, and was elected EURADOS chair at the beginning of 2020.
leftheria Carinou is a Medical Physicist, MSc, PhD. She is Deputy Director of the Division of Licensing and Inspections of Greek Atomic Energy Commission and head of Personal Dosimetry Department of Greek Atomic Energy Commission. She has participated in European research projects, IRRS missions and in research projects in Greece, with a focus on occupational radiation exposure and management systems. She has also cooperated with many Greek research institutes in the involvement of end users in radiation protection. She is a member of EURADOS group (WG12) and of a team responsible for the transposition of the European Directive of the Basic Safety Standards into the Greek legislation.