Radiopharmacist · Per-shift workflow
Six steps from shift-start to biomedical-waste handoff — and the AERB chain-of-custody trail.
Shift start — hot-lab open
Polybag liner check
Inspect the waste-bin polybag liner is fresh and in place. Confirm the foot-pedal mechanism opens cleanly; the lid self-closes under spring tension. Lock the wheels (if wheel-mounted variant) at the dispense-bench-side position.
Per-dispense — across the shift
Foot-pedal deposit
After each dispense, the operator drops swabs / vial caps / used gloves / dispensing paper into the bin via the foot-pedal. Hand never touches the lid. Sharps go separately into the sharps container (NM-039); the waste bin handles soft contaminated waste.
Mid-shift if needed
Bench-side bin-swap (high-throughput)
In high-throughput PET radiopharmacies, the 12 mm Pb wheel-mounted variant may swap mid-shift if the polybag is nearing capacity. Lock-wheel + lift polybag with PPE gloves + transfer to the decay-drum side of the decay-store.
Shift end — close-out
Lifted-out polybag → decay drum
Last dispense of the shift: lift the polybag from the bin (PPE gloves on), seal with chain-of-custody tag (date + isotope mix + operator initials), transfer to the matched-Pb-tier decay drum in the decay-store room. Drum log entry per AERB SOP.
Bin cleanup
Lid + chassis wipe-down
Daily lid + outer-chassis decontamination wipe-down using the standard radiopharmacy surface cleaner (per cleaning-validation SOP). The SS 304 outer variant supports the daily wet wipe-down without coating degradation; the MS painted variant is appropriate for weekly-cycle decontamination.
After 10 half-lives
Decay drum → biomedical waste
Decay-drum contents below clearance threshold (~ 0.1 % of original activity) transfer to the standard biomedical-waste chain under the CPCB Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules. AERB chain-of-custody log closes with the final-disposal certificate.