Radioactive Material Hazard - Prevention Measures

At present, there are no OSHA standards that directly address the problem of radioactive material exposure. In collaboration with the State of Louisiana, OSHA has provided an information bulletin that describes the specific dangers faced by workers who work with pipe. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission standards on Licenses and Radiation Safety Requirements for Well Logging (10 CFR 39) provide relevant national consensus standards that can be applied to the oil and gas extraction industry. Links to both of these documents are included in the additional resources listed at the end of this section.

In general, employers in the oil and gas extraction industry should take specific actions to protect their workers from radioactive material exposure, including the following:

• Test for the presence of radioactive materials.
• Develop written operation and emergency procedures that minimize worker inhalation and ingestion of radioactive materials.
• Inform workers about the presence of radioactive materials and how to prevent exposure.
• Keep informed about the latest regulations and research about exposure control methods.

To learn more about Oil & Gas Extraction visit our Oil & Gas Extraction Safety Online Training web page.