Each year, the department's Office of Radiation Safety, Division of Radioactive Materials, receives dozens of notifications of incidents involving radioactive materials. While the vast majority of these incidents are minor, department staff carefully review information from each report and often send investigators to the site to further evaluate the situation. Many times the reported event involves radiation alarms at scrap metal yards or local waste disposal facilities. Using radiation monitors, staff members can identify the radioactive material present, and help the facility's officials determine the appropriate course of action for handling or disposing of the material. Responding to such incidents doesn't always fit into the normal workday.
Inspectors often find themselves heading to an incident site in the evening or on weekends.
Decisions on how quickly to respond depend on the materials involved and the potential for citizens being exposed unnecessarily to radiation.