Personal protection equipment is an essential component of any profession that involves working with dangerous materials or energy. Personal protective equipment (PPE) for radiology technicians, of course, refers to a combination of different types of gear, including both that which protects the technician from ionizing radiation and that which provides a gauge to indicate to the technician when they have received an unsafe amount of radiation exposure.
At the very least once a year, a decent pair of lead-lined gloves needs to have their shielding effectiveness evaluated, but doing these evaluations more often is not at all a terrible idea. Even though you are not directly in the path of the radiation that is being used for the x-ray, you may still be at risk of exposure to scatter radiation if you are not wearing radiation protection gloves since they may give a substantial level of protection against it.
When using a fluoroscopic machine, the position of the user’s hands may affect how well x-ray gloves protect the user’s hands from radiation exposure. This is because the level of protection provided by the gloves is dependent on the location of the user’s hands.
Radiation Safety Gloves:
Personal protective equipment (PPE) enables individuals to operate in potentially hazardous environments while maintaining a reasonable level of safety. However, one of the issues that might occur is when individuals have unrealistic expectations on the gloves and other protective equipment that they wear.
When dealing with energy as intense as ionizing radiation, an over-reliance on personal protection equipment may lead to a false feeling of security, which can be very harmful.
It’s possible to grow too comfortable as an x-ray technician after obtaining a lot of experience and being acclimated to working near radiation. Leaded gloves may reduce exposure to scatter radiation by 15 to 30 percent or more. When the hands are directly in the line of the beam, danger ensues.
When anything (such as a gloved hand) blocks the beam, a fluoroscope equipment will automatically boost the kilovoltage. This implies that both the x-ray technician and the patient are exposed to more radiation.
While leaded gloves may make x-ray technicians’ tasks safer, it’s crucial to remember some features of radiation’s behaviors and the equipment used with it. If these factors aren’t taken into account, the situation may deteriorate to the point where personal protective equipment is overused and misused to the point that the risk is actually increased, rather than minimized, as it should be.
Choosing perfect lead gloves:
X-ray gloves are available in a variety of highly maneuverable styles, such as those designed for surgical use (like our Attenuator-X gloves and other radiation resistant surgical gloves). These options can be appropriate for those who are responsible for carrying out the detailed work required to take x-rays.
Sleeves, such as these lead sleeves, are also available. While they do not provide protection for the hand, they do offer an effective method for shielding the torso from radiation.
Lead mittens are another option, and employees who don’t need a high degree of articulation for a particular activity may find that these gloves are a good choice.
There are also lead-free x-ray gloves available, which have the advantage of being lighter. When using any of these alternatives, however, it is essential to ensure that, just as is the case with any piece of safety gear, its limits are acknowledged, and that it is understood that there may be other concerns that need to be taken into account with regard to its use.
Final thoughts
When put to proper usage, lead-lined gloves have the potential to significantly improve the overall degree of protection that a worker in any industry enjoys while going about their daily tasks. Nevertheless, one must be familiar with all of their personal protective equipment. Technicians who work with X-rays need to have a thorough understanding of the dangers that their protective gear shields them from, as well as the dangers that it might unintentionally cause if it is not utilized properly.
By having an understanding of this information, technicians are able to establish a work environment that is as predictable and risk-free as is humanly feasible, and they are also able to make the patients’ working environment safer.
