Re: Label vs. Tag

[Chris Alston <alstonc@odrge.odr.georgetown.edu>]

It's my understanding that to label an object is to alter its exterior
surface, in a (more or less) permanent way, so that the identifying label
and the object are inseparable. It's standard practice to do this by, e.g.,
attaching an adhesive-backed piece of paper, the obverse of which displays,
on a background of a specific color, wording, and/or other symbology,
appropriate to the context. Frequently, it seems that we do this when the
object is a container, or vessel, for the actual RAM, and not radioactive
in and of itself.
A tag, on the other foot, is a sort of label, typically of plastic, or
heavy paper stock, that is appended to an
object. Commonly, this is done with a wire or string hanger. Here, it seems
that the item, itself, may be hot, e.g., contaminated.
Of course, in everyday discourse, we may play fast and loose with the
distinction, especially for in-house work. So, somebody asks you to "label"
an object, and you use whichever seems most useful. We should take care,
though, to be sure that we don't tread on any regulatory toes. When the
DOT, for instance, says that a package must be labelled, it surely does not
mean that it may be tagged.

As usual, I shall now eagerly await the slings and arrows of my esteemed
fellow cybernauts.

Cheers
chris a.
alstonc@odrge.odr.georgetown.edu

P.S. Please note that we are also supposed to understand the uses of
"signs" and "placards."

.At 09:46 AM 3/14/00 -0600, you wrote:
>
>
>What constitutes a radioactive material label and a radioactive material tag?
>Are they the same?
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