What is the term used for the whole body dose received by radiation workers?

• A. Effective dose
• B. Occupational dose
• C. Radiation dose
• D. Public dose

Answer: (B)

In radiation protection, the dose a worker accumulates from their job is called occupational dose. This term refers to the whole-body dose that protection programs monitor for personnel exposed to ionizing radiation, and it’s the quantity used to ensure compliance with annual dose limits. While a worker may have higher exposure to specific parts of the body (tracked with extremity dosimeters), the occupational dose represents the overall body dose considered for regulatory monitoring. The other terms are more specific or broader: public dose is exposure to non-workers, radiation dose is a general label, and effective dose is a calculated risk-weighted value across tissues rather than the actual measured whole-body dose used for monitoring.