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Decommissioning Health Physics

With a team of health physics experts who have extensive field experience, ORAU knows the support your decommissioning project needs—from the characterization phase to the final status survey. We understand the risk of cost overruns, the necessity of high quality characterization, the difficulty of collecting accurate data, and all other obstacles contractors and government agencies face on-site during the decommissioning process.

In order to provide your environmental project with the support you need, ORAU’s team of health physicists and radiological experts have the necessary experience, procedures, and instrumentation to design and implement characterization and final status surveys. Our experts customize these surveys to achieve high-quality, defensible data, and reduce risk for efficient and cost-effective cleanup. With high quality standards, ORAU survey results instill trust and confidence that public health and safety are protected following your site’s decommissioning project.

Impact Areas

What we do

ORAU works to support an efficient, cost-effective and thorough assessment with the following capabilities:

  • Survey design for radiological and chemical characterization
  • In-field data collection and analyses
  • Development of authorized limits
  • Technical support for complex health physics problems
  • Customized radiation detection instrumentation
A male health physicist collects data during an outdoor radiation survey

Nondestructive Assay

If your decommissioning project involves piping or other inaccessible equipment, our team of health physicists can detect and quantify the contaminated materials safely before proceeding with material removal. Using nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques and portable instrumentation, we provide on-site analyses without physically altering the contaminated equipment or compromising site safety.

Data collected using NDA techniques will answer questions regarding hold-up of uranium and other high-risk contaminants in piping, equipment, waste containers, and other environmental media and building structures. A thorough NDA evaluation is essential to ensure proper disposition of waste materials, minimize the risk of worker health hazards, and eliminate the risk for criticality incidents.

Two health physicists record data during an indoor radiation survey

Radiological & Chemical Characterization

ORAU independently develops and implements radiological and chemical characterization survey plans for state and government agencies, as well as private-sector organizations. The plans developed ensure the collection and assessment of the appropriate data quantity and the quality necessary for confident decision-making and controlling project scope uncertainties.

ORAU’s data quality objectives-driven approach minimizes surprises and maximizes efficiencies of remediation resources and their effectiveness to ultimately achieve site cleanup.

After your site is thoroughly evaluated for contamination, we’ll provide you with resources to take the next step in the site release process. Some of these resources include:

A health physicist records data during an indoor radiation survey

Qualifications

As a leader in the health physics industry, ORAU’s has been instrumental in developing new environmental assessment standards. ORAU health physics experts were involved with writing the Multi-Agency Radiation Survey and Site Investigation Manual (MARSSIM), now the nationally recognized standard for planning and executing radiological surveys. Other manuals and standards ORAU has helped develop include:

Contact us

For more information about contracting with ORAU, contact Kathy Rollow at (865) 206-4264 or kathy.rollow@orau.org.