Adopting the International System of Units for Radiation Measurements in the United States Proceedings of a Workshop (2017) / Chapter Skim
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5 Possible Steps Toward the Exclusive Use of SI Units for Radiation Measurements
5 Possible Steps Toward the Exclusive Use of SI Units for Radiation Measurements
Pages 43-50
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From page 43... ...
These two topics are discussed in some detail in the following sections. NO ACTION NEEDED A few workshop participants talked about the "inevitability" of the exclusive use of SI units for radiation measurements in the future and stated that no action needs to be taken to reendorse SI use for radiation measurements or develop a specific plan for adoption of SI.
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From page 44... ...
The NRC regulates nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities. It "encourages" use of SI units but permits use of conventional units in event reporting and emergency response communications between licensees (nuclear power industry)
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From page 45... ...
Mr. William Ostendorff, former NRC commissioner, provided insights as to why the NRC cannot mandate that the nuclear power industry exclusively use SI units for radiation measurements without a well-documented benefit to the safety and security of the nuclear plant, its workforce, and members of the public.
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From page 46... ...
This is because some of the costs might not be completely attributable to the proposed change. For example, if an organization replaces its instrumentation routinely, then the costs of purchasing new instruments that display SI units may be similar to the costs to purchase instruments that display conventional units, if the instrument was purchased during the routine replacement 2 The NRC backfitting requirements are described here: http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/ regulatory/crgr/related-info.html.
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From page 47... ...
OMB admonishes agencies that when less tangible benefits are hard to quantify, they should be discussed and illustrated with some information that could help a decision maker understand the nature and scale of the benefit. As noted in Chapter 3 of this proceedings, some workshop participants discussed that converting from conventional to SI units for radiation measurements could improve communications with the public and increase public trust.
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From page 48... ...
Transition Period Some workshop participants noted that a rapid change to the exclusive use of SI units for radiation measurements can minimize confusion compared to a prolonged transition period during which both conventional and SI units are used side by side. This proposed "cold turkey" adoption of SI was compared to the transition from left-hand traffic to right-hand traffic in a single day.3 Workshop participants who favored no transition period offered the following comments in support of their positions: • Dr.
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From page 49... ...
Many workshop participants suggested that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's refusal to require SI units for radiation measurements is inhibiting federal, state, and local governments from adopting the SI units for radiation measurements. However, some workshop participants noted that it is unlikely that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will readdress its policy in the near future.
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