Re: Who gets badged or not

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

>Reply-To: "Sorensen, Scott" <ssorensen@SAINT-LUKES.ORG>
>
>To add some more comments on the good points made by others...
>
>One has to be careful about which regulatory requirements are applicable.
>In the US, State regs apply to machine-produced radiation and requirements
>vary from State to State.  Most radiation from radioactive material is
>regulated by NRC rules.  In the case of a worker exposed to both
>machine-produced and radioactive material radiation, one would have to
>consult both sets of requirements.
>
>Also, institutions may commit to badging requirements that are more
>conservative than the regulatory requirements.  For example, many hospitals
>state that they will follow the NRC Model Procedures for various radiation
>safety activities.  The Model Procedure for radiation monitoring simply
>states all personnel exposed to radiation will be badged.  Be careful to
>what you commit to.
>
>Finally, a practice that is common in the nuclear power industry is
>something that can be called "defensive badging."  Legal precedent has been
>set that a dosimeter reading provides an accurate representation of what the
>worker is exposed to.  Without that dosimeter reading, the employer may be
>subject to "dose reconstruction estimates by outside experts" in the case of
>a law suit.  Employers try to minimize the potential legal conflict by
>giving dosimeters to all workers, regardless of their exposure potential.
>Fortunately, radiation exposure litigation hasn't taken hold in the medical
>setting (as of yet).
>
>Having stated all this, I definitely agree that many medical institutions
>are indeed badging too many workers.  A realistic review of what constitutes
>"likely to exceed the monitoring threshold" should reduce the number of
>staff members monitored.
>
>My thoughts only...
>
>-Scott Sorensen, RSO
> Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City
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