Emergencies resulting from accidents in isotope laboratories may range from minor spills of
radioactive material, involving relatively no personal hazard, to major radiation incidents and
spills involving extreme hazards or injury. Because of the numerous complicating factors which
may arise, and because of the wide range and variety of hazards, set procedures cannot be
made to cover all possible situations. In any emergency, however, the primary concern must
always be the protection of personnel, either from radiation hazards or from injury. The
secondary concern is the confinement of contamination.
The following general guidelines are required at NDSU by the Radiation Safety Committee.