Lesson 2/Learning Event 7
LEARNING EVENT 7:
CO-ORDINATE SAFETY MEASURES
Radiological safety and after-mission decontamination must be considered in planning radiological
surveys.
Decontamination
In the planning of a radiological survey, the NBCE must coordinate with the NBC company to provide
after-mission support for decontamination of the survey team and their equipment. Decontamination
and the resources required will depend upon how badly the team(s) and equipment are contaminated and
the number of personnel involved in the operation. The decontamination could range from use of a
single power-driven decontaminating apparatus or other small shower method to use of Personnel
Decontamination Stations (PDS) and Equipment Decontamination Stations (EDS). An uncontaminated
site must be selected with care to insure that it will not present a hazard to friendly troops. Sites selected
for either equipment or personnel decontamination should have certain characteristics in common.
These are water supply, waste disposal means, security, and concealment.
field-expedient PDS, but could use a large scale PDS if convenient.
Equipment Decontamination. Equipment decontamination stations are located as far forward as
possible and are normally run by a specialized decontamination team or unit. Standard decontaminating
materials and equipment are used if available. Brooms, mops, and pails may be used if the standard
equipment is not available. Contaminated wash water is disposed of in such a way that it is not a hazard.
A sump pit and subsequent burial is one means of disposing of the wash water.
Monitoring is performed after each step of a decontamination operation to determine the effectiveness of
the method being used. Decontamination is considered adequate when the radiation dose rate is no more
than the maximum permissible level at a given distance from the contaminated surface. The permissible
dose rate should be as low as possible, but maximum permissible dose rates at specified distances are set
by command decision in accordance with the tactical situation.
Radiation Safety Precautions
All nuclear radiation, even in small doses, has some harmful effect on the body and should be avoided
whenever it is possible to do so without interfering with military operations.
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