Section 0400-20-05-.115 - PROCEDURES FOR RECEIVING AND OPENING PACKAGES(1) Each licensee who expects to receive a package containing quantities of radioactive material in excess of a Type A quantity, as defined in Rule 0400-20-04-.04, shall arrange to receive:(a) The package when the carrier offers it for delivery; or(b) Notification of the arrival of the package at the carrier's terminal and to take possession of the package expeditiously.(2) Each licensee shall: (a) Monitor the external surfaces of a labeled5 package for radioactive contamination unless the package contains only radioactive material in the form of a gas or in special form as defined in Rule 0400-20-04-.04;(b) Monitor the external surfaces of a labeled package for radiation levels unless the package contains quantities of radioactive material that are less than or equal to the Type A quantity, as defined in Rule 0400-20-04-.04 and Rule 0400-20-10-.37, Schedule RHS 10-6; and(c) Monitor all packages known to contain radioactive material for radioactive contamination and radiation levels if there is evidence of degradation of package integrity, such as packages that are crushed, wet or damaged.(3) The licensee shall monitor as soon as practical after receipt of the package. A package received at the licensee's facility during the licensee's normal working hours or showing evidence of package degradation shall be monitored within 3 hours. A package not received during the licensee's normal working hours and not showing evidence of package degradation shall be monitored no later than 3 hours after the beginning of the next working day.(4) The licensee shall immediately notify the final delivery carrier and the Division by telephone, facsimile, or electronic mail, as set forth in Rule 0400-20-04-.07, when either removable radioactive surface contamination or external radiation levels exceed the following:(a) Removable radioactive surface contamination limits:1. The level of removable (non-fixed) radioactive contamination on the external surfaces of each package offered for transport shall be kept ALARA. The level of removable radioactive contamination may be determined by wiping an area of 300 square centimeters of the surface concerned with an absorbent material, using moderate pressure, and measuring the activity on the wiping material. Sufficient measurements shall be taken in the most appropriate locations to yield a representative assessment of the removable contamination levels. Except as provided in part 2 of this subparagraph, the amount of radioactivity measured on any single wiping material, when averaged over the surface wiped, shall not exceed the limits set forth in Table RHS 5-3 at any time during transport. Other methods of assessment of equal or greater efficiency may be used. When other methods are used, the detection efficiency of the method used shall be taken into account and in no case shall the removable contamination on the external surfaces of the package exceed 10 times the limits set forth in Table RHS 5-3. Table RHS 5-3 REMOVABLE EXTERNAL RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION WIPE LIMITS
Contaminant | Maximum Permissible Limits |
Bq/cm 2 | µCi/cm 2 | dpm/cm 2 |
Beta and gamma emitters and low toxicity alpha emitters; all radionuclides with half-lives less than 10 days; natural uranium; natural thorium; uranium-235; uranium-238; thorium-232; thorium-228; and thorium-230 when contained in ores or physical concentrates | 0.37 | 1 (E-5) | 22 |
All other alpha emitting radionuclides | 0.037 | 1 (E-6) | 2.2 |
2. For packages transported as exclusive use shipments by rail or highway only, the removable contamination at any time during transport shall not exceed 10 times the levels prescribed in Table RHS 5-1. The levels at the beginning of transport shall not exceed the levels prescribed in Table RHS 5-1.(b) External radiation limits: 1. The external radiation levels around the package and around the vehicle, if applicable, shall not exceed 200 millirems (2 millisieverts) per hour at any point on the external surface of the package at any time during transportation. The transport index shall not exceed 10.2. A package that exceeds the radiation level limits specified in part 1 of this subparagraph shall be transported as exclusive use by rail, highway, or water, and the radiation levels external to the package shall not exceed the following during transportation:(i) 200 millirems (2 millisieverts) per hour on the accessible external surface of the package, unless the following conditions are met, in which case the limit is 1,000 millirems (10 millisieverts) per hour:(I) The shipment is made in a closed transport vehicle;(II) The package is secured within the vehicle so that its position remains fixed during transportation; and(III) There are no loading or unloading operations between the beginning and end of the transportation;(ii) 200 millirems (2 millisieverts) per hour at any point on the outer surface of the vehicle, including the top and underside of the vehicle, or in the case of a flat-bed style vehicle, at any point on the vertical planes projected from the outer edges of the vehicle, on the upper surface of the load, or enclosure, if used, and on the lower external surface of the vehicle; and(iii) 10 millirems (0.1 millisievert) per hour at any point 2 meters (6.6 feet) from the outer lateral surfaces of the vehicle (excluding the top and underside of the vehicle); or in the case of a flat-bed style vehicle, at any point 2 meters from the vertical planes projected from the outer edges of the vehicle (excluding the top and underside of the vehicle); and(iv) 2 millirems (0.02 millisievert) per hour in any normally-occupied space of the vehicle, except that this provision does not apply to private motor carriers if persons occupying these spaces wear radiation monitoring devices in accordance with Rule 0400-20-05-.71.(5) Each licensee shall: (a) Establish, maintain and retain written procedures for safely opening packages in which radioactive material is received; and(b) Ensure that the procedures are followed and that due consideration is given to special instructions for the type of package being opened.(6) Licensees transferring special form sources to or from a work site in licensee owned or operated vehicles are exempt from the contamination monitoring requirements of paragraph (2) of this rule. Licensees are not exempt from the requirement in paragraph (2) of this rule for surveying radiation levels to ensure that the source is still properly secured in its shield. 5 Labeled means labeled with a Radioactive White I, Yellow II or Yellow III label as specified in U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations in 49 CFR §§ 172.403 and 172.436-440, as published October 1, 1993.
Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-20-05-.115
Original rule filed February 22, 2012; effective May 22, 2012. Amendments filed December 4, 2023; effective 3/3/2024.Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-201, et seq.; 68-202-101, et seq.; and 68-202-201, et seq.