RE: Health Physics Society => Radiation Safety Society

[Glen.Vickers@ucm.com]

I would have to agree with Mr. Slaback about keeping the traditional name.
I could envision the title "radiation safety person" in the public's eyes as
being synonomous with the safety guy at work that reads out of a rule book
with no other really marketable skills.  HP's are already sneered at by our
nuclear engineering brothers as lesser beings.  
Many of us work in uniquely different and important areas of radiation
physics which have no direct ties to public health at all.

Glen Vickers
Braidwood Nuclear Power Station
glen.vickers@ucm.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Lester Slaback [SMTP:Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV]
> Sent:	Thursday, April 27, 2000 12:14 PM
> To:	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject:	RE: Health Physics Society => Radiation Safety Society
> 
> I would assert that folks outside the radiation arena have little or no
> knowledge of what HPs do, regardless of the society title.  So, with the
> title Health Physics Society (or some other arcane combination) they are
> forced to ask.  With Radiation Protection Society or Radiation Safety
> Society they think they know but really do not.
> So which do we prefer?
> Since I do not believe title changes solve the underlying issue (i.e.,
> prompt understanding of our issues and what we do), and what we do
> frequently involves more than simply 'safety', and I am a bit of a
> stick-in-the-mud traditionalist, I vote for Health Physics Society.  And I
> have to agree with Peter, it is a bit more imposing (sort of like Sanitary
> Engineer).
> Disclaimer:  the above are the personal musings of the author, and do not
> represent any past, present, or future position of NIST, the U.S.
> government,
> or anyone else who might think that they are in a position of authority. 
> Lester Slaback, Jr.  [Lester.Slaback@NIST.GOV] 
> NBSR Health Physics 
> Center for Neutron Research 
> NIST
> 100 Bureau Dr.  STOP 3543 
> Gaithersburg, MD  20899-3543 
> 301 975-5810 voice
> 301 921-9847 fax
> ************************************************************************
> The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
> information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html


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