Practical Health Physics for the OEHS Professional

Many Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Industrial Hygiene (IH) professionals may not routinely work with ionizing radiation, but are often called upon to oversee or collaborate with health physics programs. This webinar will provide a clear and practical introduction to the essential principles of radiation safety needed to perform those responsibilities confidently.

Participants will explore the types of ionizing radiation and their common sources, as well as fundamental concepts related to radiation dose, biological health effects, and regulatory exposure limits. We will also outline how to interpret survey data, apply dose limits, and identify key resources available for radiation protection programs.

By the end of the webinar, attendees will gain a stronger working knowledge of radiation safety fundamentals, enabling more effective collaboration with health physics specialists and improved oversight of radiological operations.

Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to:  

1. Describe the differences between radiation exposure and contamination, including common sources and pathways for each.
2. Select appropriate radiation survey instruments for different types of ionizing radiation and typical EHS/IH scenarios.
3. Explain the purpose of area wipe testing and sealed source leak testing, and perform basic CPM to DPM conversions to evaluate contamination against regulatory limits.

Lecturer

William J. Pate, DrPH, MBA, CHP, CIH, CSP, CHMM

Senior Instructor

Dr. Pate has over 16 years of environmental health and safety experience in academic, research, and healthcare settings in both the public and private sectors. Dr. Pate's EHS experience has ranged from collecting and managing radioactive, chemical, and biologic waste streams for a major research university to managing a comprehensive EHS program for a large multi-facility health system. Dr. Pate has been responsible for developing and delivering various EHS training topics, and his goal is to assist Bowen EHS clients in achieving their professional development goals. Outside of work, Dr. Pate enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Credit

This course contains 1 hours of instruction. 0.1 CEUs are offered for this course.

As an IACET Accredited Provider, Bowen Learning Network offers CEUs for its programs that qualify under the ANSI/IACET Standard.

Eligible for contact hours with the BGC, BCSP, IHMM, and other OEHS certifying agencies.

For more details on certification and recertification credit, please visit How many points/credits/hours is a course worth?

Completion Requirements

To receive a Certificate of Completion for this course, participants are required to complete the following items:

1. Participate in the live webinar or review the on-demand webinar recording.
2. Score 70% or higher on the quiz.
3. Complete the webinar evaluation.

No certificate will be awarded to participants who do not meet the above completion requirements.

Computer Requirements

The Bowen Learning Network online virtual classrooms are powered by BigBlueButton. It fully supports the Windows, Mac OS X, and Chromebook platforms (see below for versions supported). Support is available for iOS (iPads) and Android Tablets. While smart phones can be used, the screens are too small to display all of the aspects of the Virtual Classroom.  For the best online learning experience, the use of a device with a larger screen is HIGHLY recommended. A physical keyboard is also recommended.

See how the Virtual Classroom works: