NukeWorker Forum
Reference, Questions and Help => Nuke Q&A => Lessons Learned => Topic started by: South_African on Nov 12, 2006, 01:19
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I am looking for current practices at any nuclear facilities on your use of modesty garments and civilian clothing. I would really appreciate as many repsonses as possible.
What I would like to know is:
Do you allow the use of civilian clothing into your radiological controlled areas? If you could supply reasons why you do or don't I would appreciate it.
Do you allow modesty garments to be worn into contaminated areas without protective coveralls? For instance if the levels of contamination in an area are low - would you still require full dress out - or would modesty garments with booties and gloves suffice.
Do you allow civilian clothing to be worn under contamination protective coveralls? Now by civilian clothing I don't mean a T-shirt - I mean normal street clothing. Some utilities allow street clothing to be worn into there controlled areas - and I am trying to find out how they apply this policy.
I would appreciate and comments you could make on the above questions and any other comments you could make on your utilities clothing policy.
Thanks
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Do you allow the use of civilian clothing into your radiological controlled areas?
Do you allow modesty garments to be worn into contaminated areas without protective coveralls?
Do you allow civilian clothing to be worn under contamination protective coveralls?
1. Yes, for almost all commercial sites. I don't work much DOE, but of the two sites I've been at recently, one allowed civilian clothing and the other provided coveralls for the workers.
2. I'd say about 1/3 of the plants I've been at in the past 5 years have some kind of policy to allow limited work in low contamination areas with modesties.
3. Can't think of any plant that still 'allows' civilian clothing under PCs...but some aren't real strict about enforcing the policy.
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VY allows civilian clothes under PCs - we tried the modesty garment issue, and it was more hassle than it was worth. We are tracking to < 10 personnel contaminations for the year (non-outage year). If you want to wear your own scrub clothes under PCs - that's your choice - they count as civilian clothes if they become contaminated.
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When I left Fermi in 2005 they still allowed Civilian Clothes under PCs.
Here I wear scrubs, the procedure implies civilian clothes aren't allowed. I've yet to see anyone at my current plant wear anything but scrubs.
Mike
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I heard all the plants are going to the swim suit "Borat "wore in his movie for modesty garments.That would look sweet!
When I worked in Brazil alot of the workers didn't wear anything under their PC'S.
That was scary
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last time I worked Braidwood the policy was that you provided your own modesty garments and scrubs were not allowed. I consider my cheap cotton pjs purchased at wally world to be civilian clothing since they were not company issued.
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Do you allow the use of civilian clothing into your radiological controlled areas? If you could supply reasons why you do or don't I would appreciate it.
Do you allow modesty garments to be worn into contaminated areas without protective coveralls? For instance if the levels of contamination in an area are low - would you still require full dress out - or would modesty garments with booties and gloves suffice.
Do you allow civilian clothing to be worn under contamination protective coveralls? Now by civilian clothing I don't mean a T-shirt - I mean normal street clothing. Some utilities allow street clothing to be worn into there controlled areas - and I am trying to find out how they apply this policy.
currently on a signment at a private cleanup site my answers are;
yes, civies can be worn beneath anti-c clothing as neither the client nor the companies provide clothing to be worn in excess of prescribed anti-c garb.
we allow civilian clothing to be worn in addition to prescribed anti-c garb. if the conditions and work load are compatible with booties and gloves with flannel shirts and blue jeans, so be it. if anti-c are coveralls, hood, shoe covers, glove liners and rubber gloves then the worker wears the appropriate undergarments. if a worker wants to wear scrubs instead of clothing, that is his choice, dress out facilities are limited as they must be incorporated into the general containment of an area as our work space is in the middle of the site. the radcon philosophy at this site is of an engineering approach first, prophylactic second. our personnel contamination incident rate is extremely low and is exit monitored via frisk and portal monitor follow up.
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for IH purposes it is generally not a good idea to allow clothes worn to the house to be worn in a contamination area. Besides rad, there are metals, chemical, air borne dusts etc that a person can bring home to the young ones. work clothes should always be washed separate. I have had several incidents where work pants "dissolve" after being washed. (nuke plant clothes) they were not "rad contaminated" but more than likely had some process chemical that could not be identified on them. Naturally, work shoes are the worst and should be kept out of the house. Office environment clothing is another issue- not a lot of problems there unless the site is typically dirty.
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Thanks to all who have responded to my query. The information is really helpful and I cannot even tell you how much I appreciate the feedback. It really is difficult to gather this type of information when you are sitting in South Africa. And this feedback really helps - I would really appreciate more feedback on this topic. Thanks.
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An exception to the modesty requirements: company provided uniforms can be worn in lieu of modesty garb under full dress-out. It is a stupid rule, since Fire Retardent clothing is $100+ for one set, and scrubs are under $10.
I have also seen some rather nasty plants require scrubs outside contamination zones. Shouldn't be that way at the South African plant, based on what I have heard.
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I personnally used the double scrub dress out under my PCs at Browns Ferry drywell, it was the only way I could get out.
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for IH purposes it is generally not a good idea to allow clothes worn to the house to be worn in a contamination area. Besides rad, there are metals, chemical, air borne dusts etc that a person can bring home to the young ones. work clothes should always be washed separate. I have had several incidents where work pants "dissolve" after being washed. (nuke plant clothes) they were not "rad contaminated" but more than likely had some process chemical that could not be identified on them. Naturally, work shoes are the worst and should be kept out of the house. Office environment clothing is another issue- not a lot of problems there unless the site is typically dirty.
places like this should have change rooms with lockable storage for all working people. if there are process chemical exposure problems at a nuke plant, then i would shudder to think of the skin exposure problems that are being overlooked. i think osha has a special phone for problems like this.
with a quality program 'n quality people, there are many combinations of personal, modesty, and prophylatic clothing that can be employed.