An Updated Radiation Protection Program Prospectus Based on 20 Years of Data Describing Program Drivers and Activities

Abstract

In 1992, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSCH) Radiation Safety Program began assembling data on a monthly basis that described various program drivers and associated activities. At the end of calendar year 2002, a decade of data had been collected, so the information was summarized into a novel program prospectus, displaying various program indicator parameters in a format similar to that used in a commercial enterprise prospectus provided to potential investors. The consistent formatting of the data afforded a succinct and easily digestible snapshot of program activities and trends. Feedback from various program stakeholders, even those unfamiliar with radiation safety matters, was overwhelmingly positive. By the end of 2012, a total of 20 years of data had been collected, so an updated and slightly modified prospectus was created. The summary document has helped to describe the drivers of the program, revealed some interesting trends, and has aided in maintaining program support even in challenging economic times. The data summary has also proved to be useful in making future projections regarding program needs.

A 30-Year Radiation Safety Prospectus Describing Organizational Drivers, Program Activities, and Outcomes

“…During daily operations, each Radiation Safety Program staff member records data describing their respective activities. The activity data is coalesced monthly into a single activity report, which is then provided as a standing agenda item on the monthly Radiation Safety Committee agenda (Emery and McCrary 2003b; Emery and Gutierrez 2014). Departmental reports use a portion of the single activity reports as well.…”

“…The terminology selection proved to be quite useful in establishing the desired tone for the summary document. In 2014, Emery and Gutierrez captured some interesting trends with 20 y of data (Emery and Gutierrez 2014).…”

Contextual Information for the Potential Enhancement of Annual Radiation Protection Program Review Reports

“…Each year, the radiation safety program presents its annual RPP to the RSC (included as an Appendix). Based on faculty feedback over the years, the radiation safety program has completed several novel projects that have helped articulate certain program aspects (Emery and McCrary 2003a; Emery and McCrary 2003b; Emery and Gutierrez 2014) that have been included into the RPP along with some very useful contextual elements: Section 1: A brief description the radiation safety program and why it exists, and its main driversSection 2: An executive summary of the report, highlighting achievements and future needsSection 3: The purpose and scope of the RPP and its annual reviewSection 4: A description of radiation source use at UTHealthSection 5: A summary of the size and scope of the radiation dosimetry program and associated ALARA effortsSection 6: A summary of the permits possessed by UTHealth and their associated expiration datesSection 7: A summary of regulatory inspection activity that occurred during the yearSection 8: A summary of the radiation safety training activities carried outSection 9: A summary of the radioactive waste management program and associated cost savingsSection 10: Security activities (section withheld)…”

Radiation Safety Education Adjustment in the Future: An HBCU’s Response to Trends in Health Physics

“…A paper in Volume 122 from the February 2022 issue of the Health Physics Journal (Gutierrez and Emery 2022) covered nearly three decades of data from 1991 to 2020 on key performance indicators consistent with an investor prospectus, which is typically found in commercial enterprises. The results of these data have been compiled into reports and provided to various institutional stakeholders within The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Radiation Safety Program (formerly known as UTHSCH) (Emery and McCrary 2003; Emery and Gutierrez 2014; Gutierrez and Emery 2022). The authors noted that the UTHealth Radiation Safety staff performs surveys, radioactive material package deliveries, and distributes personnel dosimetry devices.…”