In plain language
These 2010 Association of Surgical Technologists standards set out operating room radiation safety practice for surgical technologists and assistants: training, apron inspection and storage, time-distance-shielding, dosimeter placement, eye and thyroid protection, pregnancy policies and radionuclide precautions.
At a glance
- Type of study
- Guideline or consensus statement
- Who was studied
- Other surgeons, Orthopedic surgeons, Nurses, Radiologic technologists, Medical physicists and radiation safety officers, Trainees, Patients
- Where
- United States
- Topics
- Personal protective equipmentRoom shielding and protective devicesDosimetry and monitoringDose reduction techniquesTraining and educationRegulation and policyPregnancy and reproductive healthEye lens and cataractsThyroidPatient doseSafety culture and complianceMusculoskeletal injury and ergonomics
- Summary based on
- a web page
What it found
Lead shielding devices should be inspected and tested before service and at least annually, with rejection criteria based on defect size.
Key figures: defect >15 square mm (not over critical organ), 670 square mm along seam, thyroid shields >11 square mm
Personnel within 70 cm of the direct beam during fluoroscopy should wear a thyroid shield and leaded eyeglasses.
Key figures: 70 cm
Staff regularly exposed to fluoroscopy should wear at least one dosimeter at the collar outside the thyroid shield; two-badge use places the second under the apron at the waist.
Ceiling-mounted shields, used properly, reduce exposure by about a factor of three; staff should stand on the image receptor side.
Key figures: factor of three
After declared pregnancy, fetal occupational dose should not exceed 5 mSv over the pregnancy, delivered at a uniform monthly rate.
Key figures: 0.5 rem (5 mSv)
Limits to keep in mind
Professional standards document based on cited agency guidance, not original data; some statements contain errors (e.g., occupational limit stated as 50 Sv rather than 50 mSv) and the guidance dates from 2010.
Related research summaries
- ICRP Draft - Radiological Protection in Fluoroscopically Guided Procedures (Guideline or consensus statement)
- Radiation Exposure, Training, and Safety in Cardiology (2024, Narrative review)
- Radiation Protection in Interventional Radiology (2022, Narrative review)
- Occupational Protection in Interventional Radiology. A Joint Guideline of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe and the Society of Interventional Radiology (2026, Guideline or consensus statement)
- Radiation exposure in interventional cardiology: a narrative review of health effects and novel approaches to ensure radiation safety (2025, Narrative review)
How this summary was made
ORSIF prepared this summary with AI assistance from a web page of the paper. A program then checked that the passage supporting each finding appears word for word in that source. A person has not yet reviewed each summary, so read the original before relying on a number. ORSIF summarizes research and does not endorse any product or company. Report a problem with this summary.
Prepared November 3, 2026.