Ask X3What does 49 CFR 173.443 (Contamination control) require?
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As Ask X3, your fleet-compliance assistant, here is what 49 CFR 173.443 requires for motor-carrier owners:
* Keep Contamination Low: You must keep non-fixed radioactive contamination as low as reasonably achievable on the external surfaces of packages, conveyances, freight containers, and overpacks. This also applies to the internal surfaces of conveyances, freight containers, and overpacks carrying inner packages.
* Non-Fixed Contamination Limits: Except for dedicated, unpackaged shipments, non-fixed contamination levels must not exceed the limits set in Table 9 of the regulation.
* How to Measure Contamination: You must determine contamination levels by wiping a 300 cm² area of the surface using moderate pressure with an absorbent material and measuring the activity, or by using other methods of equal or greater efficiency. You can use your actual wipe efficiency or assume an efficiency of 0.10. Sufficient measurements must be taken in the most appropriate locations to get a representative assessment.
* Conveyance Surveys: A conveyance used for non-exclusive use shipments does not need to be surveyed unless you have reason to suspect contamination. However, conveyances and equipment used for certain exclusive-use shipments must be surveyed with appropriate radiation detection instruments after each trip before being returned to that specific service, ensuring the radiation dose rate is 0.005 mSv/h (0.5 mrem/h) or less and there is no significant non-fixed contamination.
* Exclusive Use Shipments by Rail or Highway: For packages transported as exclusive-use shipments by rail or public highway, non-fixed contamination on the external package surfaces and accessible internal conveyance/container surfaces can be up to ten times the standard Table 9 limits *at any time during transport*, provided they did not exceed the standard limits at the beginning of the trip.
* Dedicated Closed Transport Vehicles: Specific rules apply to closed transport vehicles used solely for exclusive-use highway or rail transport of materials with contamination up to ten times the Table 9 limits. These vehicles must meet specific radiation dose rate limits (not exceeding 0.1 mSv/h at the surface or 0.02 mSv/h at 1 meter), be marked conspicuously on both exterior sides with “For Radioactive Materials Use Only” in letters at least 76 millimeters (3 inches) high, be kept closed except when loading or unloading, and be properly placarded.
* Leaking Packages or Conveyances: If a package or conveyance carrying unpackaged material is leaking or suspected of leaking, you must restrict access to it, assess the extent of contamination and radiation levels as soon as possible (including the package, conveyance, loading/unloading areas, and other carried material), and take additional steps to protect people, property, and the environment. Leaking packages or conveyances exceeding normal transport limits cannot be forwarded until they are repaired, reconditioned, and decontaminated, or approved by the Associate Administrator.