Health Physics Questions and Answers - Question 429

Question 429: A "Note" added to the answer to Question 126 clarifies the answer with respect to nuclear power plants. Does this clarification also apply to non-power reactor facilities?

Answer: Yes. As indicated in that "Note", workers at nuclear power plants, for whom individual monitoring is required and who are outside restricted areas need not wear personal dosimeters to measure external doses from effluents. However, they should wear personal dosimeters when performing work with or near licensed materials that are sources of external occupational exposure (e.g., when performing a radiation survey of a vehicle loaded with radioactive material ready for shipping.)

(Reference: 10 CFR 20.1502).

NOTE: Questions 444, 445, and 446 relate to determining whether occupational radiation dose monitoring of an individual is required (i.e., is the individual likely to exceed 10% of an applicable limit?)