Radiation safety training program at the National Institutes of Health

At the U.S. Public Health Service's National Institutes of Health (NIH), one of the world's largest biomedical and clinical research institutions, 70 to 80% of all research is performed using radiation or radioactive materials. To maintain a safe environment and minimize risks to the health and safety of the employees, patients, visitors, and the surrounding community, a radiation protection program is required. Under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licenses and NIH policies, the Radiation Safety Branch (RSB), Division of Safety, administers a comprehensive radiation safety program covering over 3,500 NIH laboratories and some 7,000 laboratory and ancillary staff workers. The NIH radiation protection program provides for the effective supervision, control, and monitoring of all radioactive materials and radiation sources at NIH. This includes activities such as radiation exposure monitoring, laboratory inspections, waste management, consulting, environmental monitoring, and training. Training is considered an integral part of the radiation safety program. RSB offers an extensive training program with over 20 different training courses each year. For example, in 1993 some 6,700 employees attended 243 classes.