1.

3 REMOVAL OF HAZARDS 21

sparks or pieces of slag may reach the ground. So drains and sumps
should be covered.
(b) While an electrician was installing a new light on the outside wall
of a building, he was affected by fumes coming out of a ventilation
duct 0.6 m (2 ft) away. When the job was planned, the electrical haz-
ards were considered and also the hazards of working on ladders. But
it did not occur to anyone that harmful or unpleasant fumes might
come out of the duct. Yet ventilation systems are installed to get rid of
fumes.
(c) Radioactive material was transferred into transport casks by remote
handling in a shielded cell. Checks showed that the radiation level
outside the cell was low, but no one thought about the roof. Several
years later, a technician walked across the flat roof while a transfer
was taking place below. Fortunately, she was carrying a radiation
detector, and when it alarmed, she left at once. The radiation stream
to the roof was greater than 50 mSv/hr, and the technician received a
dose of about 1 mSv. (The International Committee on Radiological
Protection recommends that no one be exposed to more than 50 mSv
in a single year or more than 20 mSv/yr [2 rem/yr] averaged over
five years. In practice, most radiation workers receive far smaller
doses.) Several similar incidents have been reported [34].
Not many readers will handle radioactive materials, but this inci-
dent and the previous one do show how easy it is to overlook some
of the routes by which hazardous materials or effects can escape
from containment.

1.3.4 Liquid Can Be Left in Lines

When a line is drained or blown clear, liquid may be left in low-lying
sections and run out when the line is broken. This is particularly hazard-
ous if overhead lines have to be broken. Liquid splashes down onto the
ground. Funnels and hoses should be used to catch spillages.
When possible, drain points in a pipeline should be fitted at low
points, and slip-plates should be fitted at high points.

1.3.5 Service Lines May Contain Hazardous Materials

Section 1.1.4 described how fumes got into a steam drum because it
was not properly isolated. Even when service lines are not directly con-
nected to process materials, they should always be tested before main-
tenance, particularly if hot work is permitted on them, as the following
incidents show:
(a) A steam line was blown down and cold cut. Then a plug was ham-
mered into one of the open ends. A welder struck an arc ready to