Management and Administration of Radiation Safety Programs (HPS 1998 SS) (Softcover)
Author: Charles RoesslerISBN: 9780944838013 ISBN10: 0944838014
Published: 1998 | 603 pp | Softcover
OUT OF PRINT
Radiation Protection Dosimetry |
Radiation Protection Dosimetry, Vol. 78, No.
"Previous summer schools of the Health Physics Society mostly addressed specific technical topics, such as external and internal personal dosimetry, or radiation protection programmes for reactors or hospitals. This one dealt with the general aspects of the management and administration of such programmes. 40 contributors provided 26 chapters, divided into 6 parts, namely:
- an introduction (72 pages) with a basic overview, description of the NCRP recommendations, and an outlook on the next century,
- regulatory considerations (92 pages) about the evolution of standards and regulations, the NRC regulatory programme, state regulations, and the preparation of license applications,
- preparation of programmes in different settings (this is, with 327 pages, the by far largest part) with chapters on integrated health, safety and environmental programmes, descriptions of the situation in medical, academic, biomedical, industrial, and nuclear power installations, as well as for smaller programmes, radiation gauges, and natural (NORM) sources,
- radiation safety in the US Department of Energy complex (58 pages), with an overview as well as ‘innovative aspects',
- special issues in radiation safety management (71 pages) on the ISO 14.000 management system, ‘adding value to your radiation safety programme', training, and trends in nuclear power plant safety programmes
- computers and electronic media in radiation safety management (77 pages on environmental health, record management, information access and distribution, and computer based and web based radiation safety training).
"Clearly, it is not easy to cover such a wide spectrum of topics, with so many contributors of widely different backgrounds and interests, without some overlap and minor inconsistencies. Nevertheless, the book provides an impressive overview about the current situation in the USA. This essentially non-metric country, is, in many areas of science, technology, and organisation, a trend setter for the other parts of the civilised world.
"In fact, also some non-parochial indications can be detected in the book. For example, dose limit tables on p. 289-291 list mSv (with mrem in brackets). On the other hand, probably not surprisingly for a book for US authors for a US audience, in the chapter on standards and regulations development (p. 73-86), US Federal Agencies such as EPA, NRC, OSHA, MSHA, DOE, DOT and FDA (many of them widely unknown outside of the USA), are described in detail, but there is no mention of the consensus international radiation protection standards developed, with substantial US contributions, by ISO/TC 85/SC 2 ‘Radiation Protection', and the IEC/TC 45B, ‘Radiation Protection Instrumentation'.
"There are also detailed descriptions, e.g. of the security of radiation sources at MIT (p. 230-232), and seven pages in the LLRW management there, which may be only of limited interest in other smaller and less affluent countries. The ‘outsider' may wonder whether the very complex US systems, with much confusing overlap between the responsibilities of various agencies and states, could not be substantially simplified. However, some of the examples given in regulatory procedures, etc., should probably better not be exported....
"Nevertheless, the book provides an excellent source of information about the state of the art in this important field in the USA, and thus valuable comparisons with other national procedures, as well as ideas for possible further improvements of differently structured programmes. The cost/benefit ratio for this very well prepared book is good, covering, as it does, so many of the latest developments in the field."
K. Becker
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