A personnel contamination monitor is a booth lined with large gas-flow or plastic scintillation detectors that surveys a person's front, back, hands, feet and head in a count lasting a few seconds. It is placed at the exit of the controlled area and often replaces hand frisking. An alarm points the RP technician to the zone that counted high, and portal monitors further out catch higher-energy gamma emitters at the site boundary.
Alarmed the PCM on the left shoulder, wait in the booth area for RP to frisk you.
Also heard as
- personnel contamination monitor
- whole-body contamination monitor
Related terms
Frisking
Slowly scanning a person or object with a contamination probe to find radioactive material before it leaves an area.
Frisker
The count-rate meter and probe kept at exits for checking hands, feet and clothing for contamination.
PCE
Personnel contamination event: contamination found on a worker's skin or personal clothing above a set threshold.
Controlled area
A designated zone where specific radiation protection rules apply to control exposure and the spread of contamination.