Author Archives: Justin Marlin

RSO number two; the too-good. What did I name him? I forget. Tim Zieglerson? It doesn’t matter. He’s real, and still alive as I write this, and perhaps he’ll read about himself, and smile. Come: read along, smile along. This year for the Society of Occupational Physics in Health and Safety (SOPHists) annual meeting, writersContinue reading “reasonableness”

When I was hired at the U of Roqueforte/Weaks in 2001, Radiation Safety was part of HSU, or “Health Services of the University,” the medical group which mainly doctored the students. Being new to the area, I went to HSU for my my primary care physician, Dr. Brad Rochester, who I still see to thisContinue reading “Dean Ourman”

radiation safety technician at a university hospital sort of a nuclear Dirty Harry; doing the jobs no one else would do Last task before my covid layoff: Remove five bags of radioactive waste from the emergency room My new mundane quest: Safely navigate the treacherous waters of the gig economy Glancing across the dashboard OneContinue reading “rideshare odyssey”

“Where we going?” I asked. “Oh, we have a little meeting with the X-Ray Supervisor and some GDXRTs” Antonin replied. “What’s a GDXRT?” “A Generally Designated X-Ray Technician. They can get all sorts of higher designations to run various imaging machines, but the basic level is the GDXRT. They’re always complaining that their lead vestsContinue reading “Generally Designated”

All seemed well when I first arrived at Roqueforte University in the spring of 2001. I had interviewed for the job in January but didn’t get it. A man I’ll call Ned Couth had been let go. I was never exactly sure why but heard so many different stories about him it sounded like deathContinue reading “Speak, Memory”

W1A was Navy shorthand for the Worthington Aircraft Carrier Design 1 Nuclear Reactor at the Energetics Department in the middle of the Idaho sage desert near Falling River, Idaho. I worked there for two years as an OJT instructor after completing my six-month training program. I was an ELT, short for Engineering Laboratory Technician. IContinue reading “an adrenalin blackout”

About four hours after the Brachy prostate seed patient’s treatment, he was ready to go home. Penny got the call from recovery, so she poked her head back to the office area and called out “The room is ready.” I grabbed the meter with the thin crystal detector and headed down to recovery. Sometimes aContinue reading “Rehab”

I put my stuff on a cart and wheeled on down to the Operating Room. I checked in and put on a bunny suit; a thin disposable paper jumpsuit, booties, and head cover. I parked my cart outside the room and peeked inside. “Ready for me?” I whispered to a nurse. “Are we ready forContinue reading “Prostate Seeds”

I stepped out of Tim’s office, that’s Tim Ziegler PhD SOPH, and there at his desk, just outside Tim’s office, sat Perry Silver. Perry was ex-Air Force, and still in the reserves. He had been called up for a while after 9-11 to work at Bison airport as a cargo plane load balancer or something.Continue reading “Work Family”

In my 19-year career at Roqueforte University I worked with 4 different Radiation Safety Officers (RSO.) I won’t say I worked “for” them, because sometimes we seemed to be on different sides. I worked for Roqueforte University, and for the many different users of Radioactive Materials who paid fees to the Radiation Safety Unit ofContinue reading “The Too Good, The Bad, The Indifferent and The Incompetent”