Accelerator Safety

Overveiw

The Radiation Protection Program provides staff, researchers, students and visitors with a safe accelerator use environment and conforms to the requirements set forth by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Regulations 105 CMR 120.700 - Radiation Safety Requirements for Particle Accelerators.

 

The following list provides an overview of the requirements for particle accelerators:

 

  • Registration with the Radiation Protection Office
  • Completion of accelerator readiness review (for new installations or major changes)
  • Quarterly interlock testing (if an interlock system is required)
  • Access controls and irradiation procedures
  • Appropriate required radiation safety signage
  • All required training for personnel prior to use
  • Work is performed using the principles of keeping radiation exposure As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA)

Accelerator Safety Program

The MIT Accelerator Safety Program was established to provide a safe environment for staff, researchers, students and visitors working with and/or around particle accelerators. Any particle accelerator should be registered with RPP. Generally, a machine accelerating particles in excess of 1 MeV is considered a particle accelerator; however, in some cases low energy accelerators (DT & DD neutron generators) also require registration.

 

Registration Process

Radiation Protection maintains registration of all particle accelerators on and off campus. These registrations contain at minimum the following:

  • Personnel information (PI and operators)
  • Accelerator capabilities and properties
  • Radiation surveys and instrumentation
  • Engineering controls (interlocks, emergency off)
  • Procedures for interlock search and emergency off situations
  • Administrative/operational procedures
  • Ancillary hazards

Inform your DLC RPP Officer of any new accelerator or changes to an existing registration.

 

Notification

Radiation Protection must be notified immediately if the following occur:

  • Unexpected radiation levels are measured
  • Unexpected exposure to radiation occurs
  • Malfunction of safety mechanism occurs (interlock, radiation detector, emergency stop, etc.)

 

 

file : 

PDF icon Accelerator Safety Manual