Lab Inspections

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Any laboratory on the OSU campus that is licensed for radioactive materials (RAM) or radiation producing machines (X-rays) is subject to routine and unannounced inspections by either OSU Radiation Safety Office or Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) personnel. In either scenario, inspectors will enter your lab and expect to see required records, materials and/or machines being used and stored in accordance with regulations, training for all users, etc.

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Inspections by Radiation Safety Office Personnel

In order to make sure that our users have a solid understanding of regulations and are running laboratories and facilities in compliance with those regulations, OSU’s Radiation Safety Office will visit all RAM and X-ray laboratories approximately annually for the purpose of inspecting your program. These inspections can be scheduled or unscheduled, meaning that Radiation Safety Office personnel can enter your lab to inspect the facilities at any time. While the primary purpose of these inspections is monitoring for regulatory compliance, they also provide an opportunity for you to get clarification on any issues or questions you may have. In that regard, Radiation Safety personnel also will visit your facilities at other times throughout the year primarily for the purpose of assisting you. These types of visits are intended as unsolicited help. Finally, the office is available as a resource to you, the user, at any time, so don’t hesitate to contact us and ask for help outside of regular inspections and visits.

 

The two MS Word documents at the top of this page represent the core of the periodic inspection points and the principles behind them. You may find it useful to periodically review these form(s) yourself and use them as a guide to address any issues where you think your program may not be in compliance with regulations. Our intent is to inform you, not surprise you, so please use the forms as a periodic “self-inspection guide” and contact our office with questions you might have at any time.

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Inspections by ODEQ Personnel

OSU’s Radiation Safety Office is generally not informed of ODEQ visits to campus. As mentioned above ODEQ personnel have the authority to visit your laboratories at any time either with or without personnel from the OSU Radiation Safety Office. They can ask questions of anyone present in the laboratory whether they are a user or not, and ODEQ is further authorized to have compliance demonstrated to them in any area of the program. While ODEQ personnel should be wearing picture ID badges, it is always a good idea to ask for identification of anyone who inquires about your radioactive materials or radiation producing machines. A courtesy call to the office of Radiation Safety is in order as soon as practical during and ODEQ visit to your facility.