Dosimetry Badges

Exposure to radiation is a workplace safety issue for staff at any facility with radiation producing equipment like x-ray machines. Dosimetry badges are small devices that workers wear to measure their exposure to radiation. The purpose of dosimetry badges is to monitor the cumulative radiation dose a worker has been exposed to throughout his or her career. These badges contain a filter that absorbs radiation particles, which is then converted into an electric signal. This signal is then stored in the badge for later analysis.

Radiation Regulations

Meeting regulatory needs related to radiation can be a daunting task for any organization, and it is essential that the job is done correctly. At Atom Physics, we understand how important it is to ensure that your organization meets or exceeds state and federal safety standards when it comes to radiation badges and other associated devices. With our top-of-the-line solutions and committed customer support team, Atom Physics is able to provide you with safe and efficient protection in this area.

Dosimetry Badges are Critical to Radiation Safety

The use of dosimetry badges is a critical part of any radiation safety program, as they help to monitor dosage for any workers who are exposed to radiation as a regular part of their workday. When selecting a dosimetry badge for a workplace, it is important for employers to ensure that their workers are wearing the dosimetry badge that meets the specific requirements of their job. Some badges are designed to be used only once, while others can be reused multiple times. Employers should keep records of all dosimetry badge readings for staff. These reports can provide a paper trail to show that employees were not exposed to elevated radiation levels.

Employees who are exposed to radiation must learn proper usage and maintenance of their dosimetry badge. They must also be aware of when they should be wearing the badge while on the job and in what situations they do not need to be wearing it, as well as how frequently they should receive new badges or check existing ones for maintenance purposes. Keep your badges safe by storing them in a cool, safe spot — far from heat, radiation, or any chance of damage.

How Does a Dosimetry Badge Work?

Dosimetry badges provide valuable documentation of a worker’s occupational radiation exposure, ensuring compliance with annual dose limits. It is essential that workers wear their badges each day while they are working in a potentially high-radiation environment. The badges should be placed in a protected area away from any further radiation exposure following the end of the workday.

It is important to remember that dosimetry badges do not protect users from ionizing radiation, and their sole purpose is to monitor exposure levels. When working around known sources of radiation, workers must take additional safety precautions to ensure their safety such as wearing personal protective equipment and minimizing potentially harmful exposures. How to wear and use a dosimeter badge should be a part of every company’s radiation safety training.

Contact Atom Physics for more information!

When are Dosimetry Badges Required?

Radiation dosimeters are an important means of detecting the presence of radiation in a work environment. Different states may have different regulations about who needs to wear a badge and when. Most states refer back to national guidelines which state that a worker needs to be badged if there is a likelihood of them getting to 10% (500 mrem) of the regulatory limit (5,000 mrem). However, we recommend them for all staff who have the potential to be exposed to radiation. It is a simple cost-effective method to provide a paper trail of the worker’s actual dose exposure. For example, anyone operating x-ray machines, including medical, chiropractic, veterinary, dental, and podiatric machines should wear a badge. Similarly, those pregnant workers who are potentially exposed to x-ray emitters must also be outfitted with them. Most states require that a pregnant worker be badged if they declare a pregnancy to their employer.

With that said, the x-ray dose received by workers in most medical facilities is extremely low. Do not be surprised if the badge readings for your wear periods are consistently at 0 or in the single digits. That means the radiation protection program and shielding in the walls of your facility are working well for you.

Atom Physics is very proactive about contacting anyone with a radiation dose reading that we think is abnormal or unusually large– and in most cases that high reading is due to the dosimeter being accidentally left in the x-ray room!

If you are not sure if particular employees in your facility should be wearing a dosimeter badge, Contact Atom Physics.

Instadose+ Dosimetry Badges

Instadose+ dosimetry is an innovative, revolutionary way to make radiation monitoring easier and compliant with industry regulations. These badges do not need to be exchanged every month or quarter. A single device can be used indefinitely. Instadose badges eliminate the cumbersome traditional dosimetry process of collecting, returning, and redistributing badges for radiation workers. The small wearable devices provide a convenient way to meet state and federal guidelines for documentation of exposure levels.

Instadose+ dosimeters with smart monitoring technology are revolutionizing the way radiation levels are monitored for employees who work in occupations with radiation exposure. These high-tech digital devices provide real-time, on-demand dose readings and measurement data using Bluetooth technology to quickly and easily transmit the required information directly to smart devices, PCs, or hotspot stations. The Direct Ion Storage (DIS) technology incorporated into Instadose+ dosimeters offer highly accurate measurements, bringing an added level of certainty to occupational safety standards when it comes to monitoring daily radiation doses.

The use of Instadose+ dosimeters also provide increased efficiency when it comes to administrative and compliance procedures by eliminating the need to physically collect, return, and redistribute traditional dosimeters for processing. By providing instant access to real-time data that is both precise and smarter in its delivery methods, these innovative devices are helping organizations proactively safeguard their workforce from overexposure. For many working in radiation related fields, the use of Instadose+ dosimeters has become an essential part of their daily occupational safety routine.

High dose notifications allow personnel involved in radiation safety to be aware as soon as a reading is taken if a dose exceeds the acceptable level. These notifications can alert both the worker as well as management to take corrective steps if needed by providing near real-time report access on vital information quickly. Reducing manual processes that used to be done by badge collection is also made simple with Instadose+ dosimetry which allows for easy reassignments reducing time and cost associated with traditional methods. This breakthrough technology gives radiation workers peace of mind that their readings are accurate and reliable at all times without having to wait for results or manually enter data into a system.

How Does an Instadose+ Dosimetry Badge Work?

Instadose+ dosimeters provide accurate and reliable radiation exposure data. The device has a built-in memory chip with a unique serial code that is assigned to each user. This technology captures the data every time a user wears it, and wirelessly transmits the accumulated radiation dose for that monitoring period over Bluetooth for processing through advanced algorithms in order to minimize human errors.

Atom Physics offers Instadose+ dosimetry badges that communicate with your smart device. No more mailing badges in and waiting for dose reports. No more badge exchanges and delayed offsite processing. Our staff prepare quarterly reports and send them to you with interpretation. Many facilities even find that our badges are less expensive than their current service.

What Atom Physics Provides

Atom Physics provides you with your deep, shallow, and lens doses. These are recorded and calculated from your Instadose+ badge readings each quarter. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) provides national guidelines that set separate annual limits for the deep, shallow, and lens doses.

The reason behind these different categories of dose reporting is that radiation doses are not uniformly distributed throughout the body, and different body parts are affected differently by radiation. X-ray dose is higher in the skin and surface of the body and decreases deeper into the body. The lens of the eye is known to be particularly sensitive to radiation; cataracts have been known to form at lower doses than other known radiation-caused problems in the body.

Dosimetry badges are used to measure the amount of radiation received by an individual during a certain time period. The badges measure cumulative exposure over a given period of time. With our Instadose+ badges, even if you forget to take a reading, the data stays on the device and can be downloaded at a later time.

Atom Physics provides dosimetry badges that are reliable, accurate and easy to use. We make sure that each badge is calibrated before it is shipped off to our customers. Our staff can also provide you with the necessary training and support in order to help you get the most out of your Instadose+ dosimetry badges.

Ask Atom Physics for more information on how to protect your employees today!