Radiation Safety Surveys
Radiation safety surveys help you to detect any radioactive material contamination in laboratory work areas. All active Controlled Radiation Authorizations (CRAs) must complete safety surveys within the first week of every month.
If you have questions about how to conduct a survey, or what to do if you find radioactive contamination, contact the designated Health Physicist for your CRA or consult the Radiation Safety Manual.
Once you’ve completed a survey, submit it to the SWEEPS website.
Radiation Sealed Source Leak Tests
Many of the labs on campus use radioactive sealed sources in their research. These sources must be tested for leaks when they arrive on campus, when they are transferred from one Controlled Radiation Authorization (CRA) to another, when they are shipped off campus, or if there is any damage to the source.
Many sources require leak testing twice a year. If your source fits the biannual requirements, we will contact you for a leak test. We will send you the results of the test, and you must file them in your radioisotope journal.
Calibration of Radiation Detection Survey Meters
You must have all radiation detection meters calibrated annually. Health Physics inventories all meters and ensures that they are picked up when due for calibration. If your meter is overdue for calibration, please call (650) 723-3201.
- If a new Principal Investigator (PI) arrives at Stanford from another institution with a survey meter, he or she should contact Health Physics immediately so that we can put it on a calibration schedule.
- Many meters have a check source. If you notice that the meter is reading out of the accepted range (according to the yellow sticker on the bottom), please contact us.
- After calibration, we will return the meter to you along with a calibration sheet, which you should file in your radioisotope journal under tab five.
- The lab must replace weak batteries in meters. If your meter is not working for other reasons, please let us know. If the problem cannot be fixed in-house, we will send the meter out for repair (paid for by the owner).
