The Training Program for Beryllium Workers at CCFE - PowerPoint Presentation

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The Training Program for Beryllium Workers at CCFE

(the JET experience)

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In the UK work with Be is covered by :-

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002)(COSHH) The Health & Safety at Work Act (1974). Guidance in the Health and Safety Executive’s documents.Be work at CCFE is covered by:-Be Code of Practice for the use of Be at CCFE.Culham Safety at Work System.In the UK Chronic Beryllium Disease is:-Notifiable under RIDDOR - Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013A Prescribed Disease.This has prompted focus on Worker & Area designation

Be Safety Training at JET – why?Slide3

Be Safety Training at JET – implementation.

Manager nominates the worker to be a registered Be worker. Using an electronic system. An previous work with Be?Health Physics Group (HPG) approves the nomination.Be medical arranged. If all is OK – training arranged.HPG produce & deliver the training and check that the assessment is passed. Central record kept by Human Resources.Letter of appointment as a Be worker issued – after the respirator fit test passed. Copied to the employer.Exposure records kept on HPG’s Be worker database.Slide4

Topics & Objectives, introductory video.

Physical properties of Be.Hazards; ingestion, direct entry, inhalation.Biological effects, acute, chronic, delayed, and suspected carcinogen.Other biological effects.CBD; symptoms & treatment, sensitisation.Regulation & standards. WEL & UKAEA standards.Becoming a Be worker; medical & lung function test.Workplace controls; Be designated areas; Local Rules & Signage; Be Code of Practice.Be Safety Training at JET – content - 1.70 slides (4 videos) – 2 to 3 hours Slide5

Be Safety Training at JET – content - 2.

Workplace controls; Engineering ControlsTransfer & ClearancePersonal Protective EquipmentRespiratory Protective EquipmentContamination control – video guidanceMonitoring – sample types, PAS policy.Course assessmentPAS user training module.Refresher Be safety training.Slide6

Be Safety Training at JET – Be information

Workers are provided with some basic information on beryllium.Atomic Number : 4 Atomic Weight : 9Density : 1800 kg/m3 Melting Point: 1,278℃High strength to weight ratio. Lightweight. Good thermal conductivity.Beryllium occurs naturally as two commercially viable ores:-Beryllium Silicate (Bertrandite).Beryllium Aluminium Silicate (Beryl). Slide7

Be Safety Training at JET – hazards & biological effects

Ingestion, direct entry, inhalation.Acute, chronic, delayed chronic and possibly cancerous effects. Inflammation, dermatitis, conjunctivitis.Chronic Be disease (CBD)Treatment – anti-inflammatory drugs.Delayed chronic effects – triggering events and frequency.Sensitisation – biological reaction – no symptoms.International Agency Research on Cancer & World Health Organisation guidance.Slide8

Be Safety Training at JET – regulations & standards

The regulatory background has been described; the following standards are applied at JET:-Beryllium Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) is 2µg/m3. 8hr time weighted average – unprotected.UKAEA applies more stringent internal standards as follows:-Slide9

The Lung Function Test

15 minutes per person. The subject is asked to blow into the spirometer. The test is repeated a couple of times to ensure results are consistent. Personnel failing the tests or showing a marked reduction from the previous test results may be referred to a Doctor and may be subject to medical restriction for working with Beryllium. Be Safety Training at JET - medical.An approved doctor conducts the medical, focussing on pre-existing conditions that might indicate a susceptibility to an adverse reaction to a Be exposure.Slide10

Be Safety Training at JET – workplace controls.

Administrative. Risk assessment, procedure/method statement, area designation, signage & local rules. Area designation. Controlled – where surface or airborne contamination is likely; >10µg/m2 & >0.2µg/m3. Restricted – where Be contaminated items are stored in clean containment.The typical workplace controls are described:-Slide11

Be Safety Training at JET – engineered controls.Slide12

Be Safety Training at JET – transfer & clearance.

Electronic systems control the movement of solid Be and Be contaminated items:- Transfers. Items that cannot be cleaned (<10µg/m2) are tracked from and to BeCA’s. A ‘transfer’ certificate is issued to those involved and the database of Be items is updated. Clearance. If an item has been cleaned to <10µg/m2 a ‘clearance’ certificate is issued and there are no restrictions on its movements.Slide13

Be Safety Training at JET – PPE & RPE.

The personal & respiratory protective equipment used on site is describedSlide14

Be Safety Training at JET – PPE & RPE.

The personal & respiratory protective equipment used on site is described.All use of face fitting RPE is subject to the wearer having passed a fit test. Slide15

Be Safety Training at JET – contamination control.

The course includes three video demonstrations of how to prepare for entering a BeCA, making an entry and an exit to and from these areas.These show in detail the practical precautions to take in order to avoid the spread of contamination. Slide16

Be Safety Training at JET – monitoring.

An overview of how Be is measured in the workplace is provided:-Surface smears, area and stack air samples and Personal Air Samples (PAS) are routinely taken. Because no real-time monitoring is available laboratory analysis is required. Slide17

Be Safety Training at JET – personal Be monitoring.

JET’s policy is that every entry into a Be Controlled Area is with a Personal Air Sampler In late 2010 UKAEA gained UKAS accreditation to ISO17025 for “Beryllium Personal Air Sampling and Analysis”.This demonstrates that at JET we assess our Be exposures as rigorously as we are required to measure our radiation exposures. It requires robust controls on the preparation, dispatch, use, return, and processing of the PAS sampler.Those required to work in BeCA’s must complete a separate PAS users course. Slide18

Be Safety Training at JET – PAS use.Slide19

Be Safety Training at JET – PAS use.

Detailed instructions on:-How to use the PAS pump and use the sampler and sampling head.Complete the associated paperwork. PBEC. Operate the buddy scheme. Co-worker checks.Pass the assessment!Slide20

Be Safety Training at JET – course assessment.

Those attending the Be Safety Training & PAS user training courses are required to pass an assessment for each course and achieve a score of >70%.Sixteen multiple choice questions (from a bank of many more) covering all topics in the training. Regulations, hazards, type of medical effects, workplace surveillance, BeCA’s setup and conditions for entry, documentation, PPE & RPE, emergency response.Those who fail to score 70% have to re-sit the assessments and if they’re unsuccessful must attend the full course again. Slide21

Be Safety Training at JET – refresher training.

Every three years all Safety Related Training must be ‘refreshed’. Computer based training modules has been developed to facilitate doing this.For Be safety it covers the same topics that have been described here.Seven modules covering:-Be & its UsesHazards associated with the use of BeLegal requirementsPrevention of Exposure (Controlled Areas)Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)MonitoringIncident ResponseThe assessment consists of multiple choice questions. A 80% pass mark is applied. Slide22

Be Safety Training at JET – conclusion & comments.

Overall this course acts as a comprehensive introduction for safe working with Beryllium at JET.Its recognised that it’s time consuming to deliver. The level of detail is high but it has to be pitched to the wide variety of workers who need to attend.To mitigate against this the use of a computer based refresher module has reduced the ‘refresher’ training workload.Compliance with the requirements (PAS use under the more stringent requirements of ISO17025) can be an area of concern and retraining sessions are carried out when necessary. In addition to this training facility specific familiarisation is required.Slide23

Be Safety Training at JET.

END OF PRESENTATIONANY QUESTIONS?Slide24

Be Safety Training at JET – local rules.Slide25