RE: Asking for opinions -Reply

["Hoyt, Joel R" <Joel.Hoyt@pnl.gov>]

As a former dosimetrist at the NTS, I would like to suggest that there are a
couple of considerations that make such a site unique.  First, employees are
distributed over 1350 square miles (excluding Las Vegas support facilities).
Second, radioactivity is distributed over 1350 square miles (certainly not
uniformly nor completely).  At least under past regulatory direction, it was
considered necessary to ensure that all employees entering the NTS wear a
primary dosimeter (regardless of job function).  This rules out badge racks at
work locations.  And with thousands (before significant downsizing) entering the
site in private vehicles and busses through only a couple of access points, the
resultant traffic congestion would have been less than *convenient*.  It seems
to me that it comes down to how circumstances allow a program to distribute its
resources.  I am sure that most dosimetrist would love the opportunity to have a
badge rack at an entry portal. But, if dosimeters must be sent home on bodies,
the program will be forced into more dose investigations.  Are these
investigations (and a suggested increase in legal liability) more costly than
re-engineering roadway access points, and the thousands of annual person-hours
(either personal or occupational) lost during badge pick-up/drop-off?  It seems
that it is more of a cost-benefit determination, than a consideration of
badge-control theory.


My opinion only.

Joel R. Hoyt
PNNL



-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu [mailto:radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu]
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 09:01:37 -0400
From: "Harmon, Terry O'Devah (ONF) " <onf@bechteljacobs.org>
To: "'radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu'" <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Subject: RE: Asking for opinions -Reply
Message-ID:
<69B903851E18D21195610000F86327200324D5CE@bjcexchange1.bechteljacobs.org>

I have worked at DOE facilities for 12 years.  I spent 9.5 years at the NTS
(5.5 as an RCT and 4 as a Health Physicist) and have been at the ETTP
(formerly K-25) Site for 2.5 years as an RCT.  At both places we take our
TLDs home.  As an HP at the Test Site I have done a few dose investigations.
It turned out that most of the unexpected doses were non-occupational.  A
prime example is the worker who would take his Security badge/dosimeter off
and put it in the same orange dish on the bar every night.  I guess everyone
can guess that the orange dish turned out to be fiesta ware.  This happened
a lot.  People forgot their badges in the morning and would have to be
issued temporary badges.  Chromic forgetters would have their badges taken
by security when they left and returned in the morning.  I asked why they
didn't do this for everyone so that they would have better control of the
dosimeters.  I was told that it would be too much trouble to take dosimeters
from 6000 people and return them every morning.
Here in Oak Ridge, they use automated badge readers to allow access.
Private vehicles aren't allowed.  The dosimeters are attached to the badge
for convenience.  I suppose they figure convenience outweighs control.

Terry Harmon, RRPT
SR. HP Tech
Kelly Scientific Resources
Phone: (423) 241-0281
Pager: (423) 417-1592
Email: harmonto@ornl.gov
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