Radioactive Material Safety Training Information
Anyone working with radioisotopes for the first time is expected to familiarize themselves with the training and program materials noted below. This is not necessary for those beginning work with x-ray systems or those classified as ancillary in nuclear medicine protocols.
Both the Radiation Safety Training Manual and the Radioactive Material Safety Program are available as documents from the EHS website (pdf versions online as well). If you have any trouble downloading the documents, please contact Donald Conner at 231-5364 or email to dcon@vt.edu.
All individuals must view three videos in addition to studying the Training and Material Safety documents noted above. You should allow approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes total viewing time for the three videos.
The titles are:
The Key to Contamination Control - Play Video
The Key to Contamination Monitoring/Contamination Detection - Play Video
The Key to Decontamination Procedures - Play Video
Once the videos have been viewed and the training material has been studied, a 2-hour lecture and test must be attended at the Radiation Safety Office (location detailed here). The test is a 33 question multiple-choice test (calculators are not required) and a score of 70% must be achieved to pass. Please register for a test time through the EHS website at Class Schedule and Registration.
Lectures/tests are offered the FIRST TUESDAY of every month. Refer to the Class Schedule and Registration (link above) section to select which time you prefer.
The successful completion of the radiation safety training does not automatically authorize you to use radioactive material. You must be added to an approved local authorization by an amendment submitted by a principal authorized user of a laboratory, or in the case of new faculty members, by the submission of an application to use radioactive material.
Note: If you have worked with radioisotopes at Virginia Tech previously, then you only need to complete the Laboratory Radiation Refresher Training to apply for authorization to work with radioactive material.
If you are a person with a disability and desire any accommodations, please contact Donald Conner at 540-231-5364 or dcon@vt.edu at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled test.