Re: Occupational and Public Dose

[rkathren@tricity.wsu.edu (ron kathren)]

All very good questions, although I hardly think of students as 'customers'.
This question is not new; you might want to check the editorial entitled
"What is Occupational Dose?" that appeared in Health Physics about 15 or 20
years.

Ron Kathren

 >When the re-definition of Occupational Dose came out last September, I 
>raised the following question with the NRC but I never received an answer.
>
>The revised definition states, "Occupational dose means the dose received
>by an individual ***in the course of employment*** in which the
>individual's assigned duties involve exposure to radiation and/or to
>radioactive material..."  And, the NMSS Licensee Newsletter states,
>"Licensees must control doses to individuals ***who are not employees*** with
>assigned duties involving radiation to within the public dose limit..." 
>
>What about volunteers?  In hospitals there are many people who volunteer
>their time but are not employees and may be exposed to radiation in the
>course of their ***activities***.  One could argue that a volunteer is an 
>unpaid employee, but this is a stretch.  If they are employees wouldn't 
>minimum wage laws apply?
>
>What about a member of the clergy who visits brachytherapy patients?  What
>about students?  In universities students routinely use radioactive
>material in the course of their ***activities***.  Students are customers,
>not employees. 
>
>
>Kent Lambert
>LAMBERT@hal.hahnemann.edu
>
>All opinions are well reasoned and insightful.
>Needless to say they are not the opinion of my
>employer. - Paraphrased from Michael Feldman.
>
>
>
>