Which statement describes a responsibility of the Radiation Protection Department?

• A. Providing lunch
• B. Marketing
• C. Scheduling vacations
• D. Managing and maintaining radiation monitoring equipment

Answer: (D)

Protecting workers from radiation relies on a reliable monitoring program. The Radiation Protection Department is responsible for ensuring accurate measurement and control of radiation exposure, which centers on managing the equipment that detects radiation. This includes dosimeters worn by workers, area monitors, portable survey meters, and any gas monitors. They keep this equipment in good working order, perform regular calibrations so readings reflect the true dose rates, maintain records, set and monitor alarm levels, and replace or repair equipment as needed. The collected data supports dose assessments, trend analysis, incident investigations, and ongoing ALARA efforts to keep exposures as low as reasonably achievable.

Other listed tasks, like providing lunch, marketing, or scheduling vacations, aren’t part of this protective role and are handled by different departments.