Radiation Protection Glossary

A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS), Radiation Protection Advisers (RPA) and anyone else interesting in radiation safety terms and definitions. The glossary is a mixture of health physics , phrases related to radiation protection legislation, transport, practical safety, technical terms and similar.

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For formal advice, see our Radiation Protection Adviser pages. 

Radiation Protection Practitioner

Published: Mar 10, 2019

    Tags:
  • Radiation Protection Adviser
  • Qualified Expert

A Radiation Protection Practitioner is a general term applied to those who work in radiation protection at a professional level. The most obvious post holder in the UK would be the Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA). Other post holders under this definition might include the Radioactive Waste Adviser and the Qualified Expert (an internationally recognised position). Specialists in specific fields of radiation protection/health physics could also be included under this definition and might include Radiation Shielding Specialist, Dosimetry Specialist etc.

The definition of 'safe' is not strictly an engineering term; it's a societal term. Does it mean absolutely no loss of life? Does it mean absolutely no contamination with radiation? What exactly does 'safe' mean?

– Henry Petroski -