In addition, radiation specialists apply an obsessive level of detail when it comes to ensuring everyone is safe.
“Highly trained Radiation Protection Supervisors operate the x-ray machine,” says Helen. Before any x-ray activity begins, the supervisors conduct an elaborate safety exercise that ensures nobody is left inside the testbed.
“When we conduct static x-rays in a small room, it’s easy to ensure nobody’s there. With a space that’s larger than a Premiership football pitch and with multiple floors, we need to be certain that nobody is inside the radiation zone before we start testing.”
To do this, there are 45 search buttons located around the facility – many of which are in hard-to-reach areas, or behind doors. A colleague must then find and push all 45 in a specific order within an allocated amount of time. Once they’ve found all 45 devices, a key is released that allows them to leave the x-ray zone, certain that nobody is left behind.
“It sounds like a game, but it’s a highly effective way of making sure we’ve checked every inch of the testbed,” says Helen.