Kjemiske stoffer og biologisk materiale | Helse, miljø og sikkerhet - Ansatt

Some of OsloMet's activities imply the use of chemical substances (chemicals, chemical products, gases) and biological material. These are used in laboratories, when cleaning and in workshop activities.

Many chemical substances have characteristics that could pose a danger to employees' health and safety. Units that purchase and use such substances are obliged to remove or replace them with less hazardous ones (substitution). The requirements for substitution are especially strict for carcinogenic and mutagenic substances.

OsloMet has an electronic chemical database with an overview of chemical substances and the health, fire and environmental hazards these pose. The chemical database must also contain a list of biological material.

All use of carcinogenic, mutagenic substances, lead and lead compounds must be registered in a separate exposure registry.

Many chemicals can represent an environmental hazard and should be handled as hazardous waste. Biological material can represent a health risk and should be stored and used so as to ensure that no employee or student is exposed to risk of infection. Biological material must be disposed as infectious / hazardous waste.

The HSE unit can answer questions about the chemical database and the exposure registry.

Internal documents

Guidelines

User manuals

Registration of substances in ECOonline
Risk- and substitution assessment in ECOonline
Registration in the exposure registry in ECOonline

Radiation, radiation protection and use of radiation sources

The use of radiation sources can cause harm to humans and the environment, and all use and handling of radiation sources is regulated by separate regulations, national and international norms, and guidelines.

Radiation sources must be handled in such a way that the risk is minimal for own and others' health and safety, the working environment and the external environment.

All radiation use at OsloMet must be justified – the use of radiation must be necessary and entail as small doses and low exposure to the surroundings as practicable.

The most important distinction in the context of radiation protection is between ionising and non-ionising radiation:

Ionizing radiation sources; radioactive substances, X-ray machines, electron microscopes.
Strong non-ionizing radiation sources; lasers class 3B, 3R and 4, magnetic resonance machines (MRI), shortwave ultraviolet radiation (UVC), other sources with potentially harmful electromagnetic radiation, ultrasound.

High energy radiation has great penetrating capacity and such radiation can cause damage to health. Before starting work with radiation sources, it is therefore a prerequisite that you have received sufficient training in work with radiation and radiation protection.

Radiation sources must be handled in such a way that the risk is minimal for own and others' health and safety, the working environment and the external environment.

Risk assessment

Before all work with radiation sources commences, a risk assessment must be carried out and the risk assessment documented.
The responsible and/or professional supervisor is responsible for mapping risk factors and any risk assessment, adapted training, safety equipment and emergency preparedness.
Documentation of completed risk assessments shall be retained; The Radiation Protection Regulations and the Internal Control Regulations.

Non-conformities in connection with radiation sources must be reported.

The units locally have developed local guidelines and procedures for steel protection and the use of radiation sources.

Guidelines for radiation protection and use of radiation sources

HSE guidelines for radiation protection and use of radiation sources at enterprise level are under revision, and will be published during January 2024.

Before work gets underway

The local radiation protection coordinator shall be kept informed and consulted about radiation sources and their use, location, movement, procurement, disposal and the like.
Necessary training must be undergone.
Safety delegates and external personnel must be made aware of the activity and any precautions that must be taken.
A risk assessment when working with the radiation source(s) in question must be carried out.
Necessary shielding, technical safety systems, personal protective equipment and suitable measuring equipment for radiation protection control shall be available.
Before procurement or use, one must know how to properly store and dispose of the radiation sources in question.
Emergency procedures shall be developed by unit. Accidents involving radiation sources must be immediately notified to the local and central radiation protection coordinator, in addition to notification of the route (in the line), and must be reported as HSE nonconformities.
When procuring new radiation sources, the radiation protection coordinator must be informed, and this person shall arrange for registration with the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority or an application for approval for use if the source is not covered by the university's general use permits.

Ionizing radiation

Access to rooms with ionising radiation shall be limited, doors shall be access-controlled.
Users shall receive training in locally developed guidelines and manuals, the use of measuring and protective equipment, waste management and local emergency preparedness plans.
Always consider whether it is possible to use methods that do not involve the use of ionizing radiation sources.
Use as low radiation activity as possible.
Contamination control shall be carried out using open sources.
Purchase, use and disposal must be recorded.
Sources, equipment and the workplace (part or all of the room) must be properly labelled.
Radioactive sources and waste must be stored properly.
Pregnancy should be made known to your immediate superior as soon as possible. If a pregnant woman is to work with ionising radiation, the dose should be calculated and this should not exceed 1 mSv for the remainder of the pregnancy.
The central radiation protection coordinator must be notified of all users who may be at risk of exposure to radiation doses exceeding 1 mSv/year.

Open radioactive sources

All work above the exemption limits described in the appendix to the Radiation Protection Regulations must only take place in approved laboratories, class B or C, and for these, an emission permit must be applied for from the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority

Closed radioactive sources

The return or disposal scheme must be clarified before procurement.
Enclosure must be ensured to prevent leakage in normal use and accidentally.

X-ray machine

The instrument responsible shall assess and approve in writing all users' competence with regard to using the X-ray machines properly.

Electron microscope

Service and maintenance shall be performed by qualified personnel.

Non-ionizing radiation

The use of nonionising radiation sources shall be entered in the logbook attached to the source. An information sperm must be located at the source in accordance with local regulations.