Safety is the name of the game

Walking through the halls of Portland State Science Department, you might be a little nervous with the ominous signs that say, “Danger Invisible Lasers,” “Caution Radioactive Material” or “Strong Magnetic Field” posted on many doors.

But if radiation safety officer Judie Briner has anything to do with it, you will be able to rest a little easier when passing by those warnings.

This is because as a radiation safety officer, the heart of what Briner does is prevention.

“The main thing that I like to focus on is very good training,” Briner said. “I feel like a person whose been well trained, who knows what to do, how to do it and, almost more importantly, if they don’t know how to do something, they know who to talk to about it, is very important in preventing any errors.”

One of Briner’s primary responsibilities is to teach radiation safety training to faculty, such as those in the geology and physics departments whose research might involve X-ray defractors, or those in medical and dental studies that use X-ray machines.

Briner, who has worked at Portland State for 14 years, also inspects all the labs twice a year to make sure they are running in compliance with safety regulations, and so far she has been impressed with what she sees.

“Our professors and students here do a fantastic job. There really are no incidents here,” Briner said.

Briner grew up in Albany, Ore., knowing she wanted to have a career in science, so she studied botany at Washington State and then Oregon State University, where she graduated in 1992.

When Briner is not on campus she spends time with friends, goes hiking on Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson, and also spends time with her two terrier mix dogs, Sweetie and Auma, who bring out another one of her passions.

“I’d love to become a certified professional dog trainer,” Briner said.

Briner is also very environmentally conscious and has a garden that has organic native flowers. She is also in the process of installing a rainwater collection tank to connect to her bathroom plumbing to save on the earth’s water resources.

When on the job, Briner is conscious of how she interacts with coworkers.

David Hobbs, assistant director of PSU Facilities and Planning, oversees the radiation safety department and praises Briner’s ability to work well with faculty.

“Her outgoing personality is a real asset when working with faculty,” Hobbs said of Briner. One faculty member Briner often works alongside is Chuck Cooper, environmental health and safety consultant in PSU’s Facilities and Planning.

Cooper maintains that even though most of the radioactive material used at Portland State is “pretty benign,” the ability of researchers to follow safety guidelines is crucial to continue research at the university.

Briner is key to making sure that happens at Portland State, Cooper said.

“She’s very fastidious about doing her job correctly,” Cooper said.

Dirk Iwata-Reuyl, professor of chemistry and chair of the Radiation Safety Committee at PSU, has known Briner since he started at Portland Sate in 1995, and over that period has taken notice of her meticulous nature.

“She pays attention to detail,” Iwata-Reuyl said. “She’s always looking to improve the way things are done.”

Iwata-Reuyl also acknowledges that Briner’s ability to communicate well with people makes it easier when the job can inherently lend itself to conflict with those doing research.

“Typically being cognizant of those regulations and protocols can sometimes detract from your work, make things more difficult,” Iwata-Reuyl said.

But he says that Briner’s been able to overcome those obstacles.

“She has a really excellent rapport with faculty and students. She works very much in a collaborative spirit,” Iwata-Reuyl said. “As a result, I think the radiation safety program here is probably among the most successful of any of the programs that I have seen out of any of the other institutions that I’ve worked in.”

Part of Briner’s job is to also be in communication with the state regarding the radiation program and show radiation inspectors around the labs when they come for mandatory inspections every three years. “I really see my role as a facilitator between the university and the state,” Briner said.

Along with being a radiation safety officer, Briner is also a laser safety officer. She has been working on developing safety protocol for the lasers on campus that are used for research in the physics, chemistry and engineering departments.

Briner said the most rewarding part of her job as a radiation safety officer is that “it’s highly variable, particularly with the lasers, lots of new things to learn all the time and getting to work with really smart, fun people.”

And with that Briner is optimistic about the future of research in the South Park Blocks.

“I’m excited about the future of Portland State, I know that research is really going to be growing in the next few years and that’s very exciting,” Briner said.