Question 422: This question refers to Question 95 under 10
CFR Part 19 and Question 81 under 10 CFR 20.1502. Clearly
there is a significant population of occupationally exposed
persons in unrestricted areas of whom the licensee has no
knowledge. Even among their own employees, the licensed
operation may be a small segment of the whole organization
where license management treats the rest of the
organization as general public. So presumably, the general
principle of educating occupationally exposed persons has a
dose threshold, e.g., something like the public dose limit;
is this correct?
Answer: No. There is no such threshold. It is
incorrectly assumed that any dose received by an individual
while working is an occupational dose. [See the discussion
of this point in the answer to Question 26 (a)
"Occupational Dose vs. Public Dose."] A licensee may have
an organization in which most of the workers are members of
the public; these workers do not need and are not required
to receive the kind of training outlined in 10 CFR 19.12.
Workers who do receive an occupational dose (and therefore
are not members of the public) should receive such
training, whether required by 10 CFR 19.12 or not. For
workers who must receive such training, there is no "dose
threshold"; however, the extent of the instruction of these
workers should be commensurate with the potential
radiological health protection problems for these workers.
(Reference: 10 CFR 19.12).