In addition to properly wearing monitoring devices, it is also the responsibility of the radiation worker to control their external exposure to radiation sources. This can be accomplished by following the three principles of radiation protection. By minimizing the amount of time spent around a radiation source, exposures can be minimized as shown by the graph of exposure vs time.
Prior planning is the key to minimizing time spent around radiation.
Preplan the procedure, practice the technique without the radiation source and prepare the tools, equipment and chemicals prior to work. These will markedly reduce exposure time. The next figure shows how radiation drops off with increased distance. The relationship between radiation and distance is an inverse square relationship. Exposure can be minimized by taking this into consideration when choosing storage areas and work spaces.