Radiation safety practices among Canadian equine veterinary workers during diagnostic procedures with portable X-ray equipment

The objective of this study was to report observed radiation safety practices among equine workers using portable X-ray units at 3 veterinary practices in Canada. Practice 1 was comprised of equine field service workers from an academic institution, whereas Practices 2 and 3 were comprised of worker...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian veterinary journal 2021-04, Vol.62 (4), p.349-356
Main Authors: Belotta, Alexandra F, Mayer, Monique N, Waldner, Cheryl L, Robinson, Kate, Sidhu, Narinder, Carmalt, James, Bell, Chris D, Koehncke, Niels K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Scientific
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Summary:The objective of this study was to report observed radiation safety practices among equine workers using portable X-ray units at 3 veterinary practices in Canada. Practice 1 was comprised of equine field service workers from an academic institution, whereas Practices 2 and 3 were comprised of workers from private equine referral practices. Out of 2969 exposure-worker observations, protective aprons were worn for > 99% (2968/2969), thyroid shields for 87% (2584/2969), and eyeglasses for 10% (310/2969). The cassette was held by hand for 97% (1078/1114) of observations, and the X-ray unit was held by hand for 100% (1293/1293) of observations. Gloves were used for 54% (606/1114) and < 1% (5/1293) of observations involving cassette holders and X-ray tube operators, respectively. Use of gloves was more frequent among technologists than DVMs ( = 0.004), and among workers in Practices 1 and 3 than in Practice 2 ( < 0.001). In conclusion, given that workers commonly hold cassettes and X-ray tubes by hand, improvement in shielding use is needed. Consideration should be given to specific behavior recommendations in radiation regulations.
ISSN:0008-5286