Emergency Response
No matter how carefully you work, accidents sometimes happen. With adequate training and preparation, you will have the skills to safely handle an emergency. If a person is contaminated or the contamination is spread outside the work area call the Radiation Protection Office at (617) 495-2060.
Plan ahead and equip your lab with spill response supplies such as paper towels, cleaning agent, extra waste bags and gloves. The five key steps to follow are:
| Stop ... | working - get your thoughts together and don't panic |
| Presume ... | everything is contaminated until proven otherwise |
| Inform ... | others about the spill |
| Localize ... | the spilled material to contain the spill |
| Label ... | or cordon off the area to limit access |
Email radiation_protection at harvard dot edu to send comments and suggestions to the Radiation Protection Office
