7.1 DOE DOSE LIMITS AND FACILITY ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL LEVELS

The facility administrative control levels for radiological workers are more conservative than the DOE limits and are established to ensure the DOE limits are not exceeded and to support the ALARA concept.

The DOE dose limits and TJNAF administrative control levels are as follows:

Whole body

The whole body extends from the top of the head down to just below the elbow and just below the knee. This is the location of most of the blood-producing and vital organs. Since the whole body contains the most radiation-sensitive organs, it has the lowest limit.

DOE whole body dose limit for routine exposures = 5 rem/year.

TJNAF's administrative control level for whole body = 1 rem/year.

Limits are based on the sum of internal and external exposure. When individual organs are exposed, the following limits apply (the whole body dose limit must still be met).

The DOE policy states that a pregnant female radiological worker should be encouraged to voluntarily notify her supervisor, in writing, when she is pregnant. The "declared" pregnant worker and her employer are encouraged to arrange for a mutually agreeable reassignment of work tasks, with no loss of pay or promotional opportunity, such that occupational radiation exposure is unlikely.

For a declared pregnant worker who continues working in radiological areas, the following radiation dose limits will apply. The dose limit for the embryo/fetus (during entire gestation period) is 0.500 rem. Efforts should be made to avoid exceeding 50 millirem/month to the pregnant worker. If the dose to the embryo/fetus is determined to have already exceeded 500 mrem when a worker notifies her employer of her pregnancy, the worker should not be assigned to tasks where additional occupational radiation exposure is likely during the remainder of the pregnancy.

The DOE radiation dose limit for visitors and the public is 0.100 rem/year. The TJNAF administrative control level for this group is 0.025 rem/year.