MRI Facilities Focused on Safety This Week
"The magnetic field of the MR scanner creates a very hazardous environment, and it is important that all personnel have a basic understanding of MR safety," said Russell Blanchard, media manager at Falck Alford Productions.
MRI Safety Week 2012 is under way until July 31. This year's week comes 11 years after the most widely known MRI accident, when Michael Colombini, 6, died from injuries he suffered when a steel oxygen cylinder being carried into the MRI scanner room was pulled by the machine’s magnetic power into the scanner, where it struck the boy.
A lawsuit filed because of the fatal incident ultimately was settled for $2.9 million.
Falck Alford Productions, a division of safety training provider Falck Alford, has posted an online quiz to help magnetic resonance staffers and facility personnel test their knowledge of important MRI safety facts.
"The magnetic field of the MR scanner creates a very hazardous environment, and it is important that all personnel have a basic understanding of MR safety," said Russell Blanchard, media manager at Falck Alford Productions. "We released this online quiz for MRI Safety Week to start an international conversation on the need for an educational program in every MR facility."
The week is an opportunity for facilities housing MRI machines to do an annual review of safety and emergency procedures, according to the company. The MRI Safety Quiz "represents a small example of the knowledge necessary to work in a MR facility," according to the company, which also offers a safety video and training kit.