Determination of the work load using the method of photo timing

The company ACINOX LAS TUNAS uses Nuclear Level Meters in the control of the continuous emptying process of liquid steel. The basic rules and principles of Radiological Protection established for this type of practice favor the management of radiological risk, the adequate protection of people and the environment. With the application of specific restrictions of the exhibition and other means, in order to guarantee protection measures and safety provisions offered to the Occupationally Exposed Workers (TOEs) of the company, the regulations established in the current legislation are met. However, in order to ensure that these measures provide a high level of security and are considered optimized, criteria were adopted on the importance of various factors: probability of overexposure, risks associated with radiation derived from foreseeable events, as well as compliance with the restrictions of doses established for practice. Using the photochronometric method, the workload is determined from the calculation of the annual effective dose received by the TOEs in the execution of the riskiest operations. The development of this work allowed the development of Good Practices on the principle of optimization, proposing 29 actions for the use of nuclear level meters, which contributes to the reduction of risks due to exposure to ionizing radiation and to the improvement of work methods . In addition to the deepening of radiological safety and protection issues, it is guaranteed to minimize operator exposure during the use of the meters. (author)