Over 50 Years of Experience in Health Physics and Radiological Science

Board Certified Health Physicist and Fellow of the National Health Physics Society

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Radiological Safety Consulting and Other Services

SHB Inc. located in Centennial, Colorado was founded in 2007. The company provides a wide range of radiological and health physics-related services to the mining, nuclear, oil, and gas industries and to State and Federal government agencies.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS AND Experience – Steven H Brown

Mr. Brown is a board-certified health physicist and fellow of the Health Physics Society with over 50 years of nuclear industry experience. He has worked as a licensee of the US Atomic Energy Commission (prior to 1974), USNRC and Agreement States in the commercial nuclear fuel cycle, for large nuclear decommissioning / decontamination and radioactive waste management projects and as a contractor to the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) in the U.S. nuclear weapons and environmental management programs. He is recognized as an expert in environmental, safety, and health aspects of uranium and plutonium facilities and at sites containing elevated levels of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM/TENORM) and is a member of related national and international advisory committees.

He has performed nuclear safety analysis, integrated safety management, and developed authorization basis documents for many radiological and nuclear hazard class facilities including nuclear weapons facilities and at national laboratories. He was the ES&H and licensing manager and radiation safety officer (RSO) for five USNRC/Agreement State licensed uranium mills, including In Situ Uranium Recovery (ISR), and is currently the State of Colorado authorized RSO under several licenses involving the safe management of NORM / TENORM including source material associated with rare earth mineral processing. He has performed radiological characterization and monitoring and worker and public dose assessments at many legacy uranium and other TENORM impacted facilities and sites throughout the US. He has authored numerous technical papers and presentations on radiological and environmental aspects of actinides (uranium, thorium, radium, plutonium, and progeny).

He was President (1984–85 and 2008–2009)

of the Central Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Health Physics Society, has been a member of the Board of Directors of American Academy of Health Physics (2015–2017) and the Panel of Examiners of the American Board of Health Physics (Twice: 1988–1991 and 2017– 2021). He has been Chairman of the Colorado Mining Association’s Uranium Committee since 2009. He was the US representative on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA – United Nations) working group on occupational radiation protection in uranium mines and processing facilities which produced IAEA Safety Report Series (SRS) 100 (same title). He is an experienced public speaker and former physical science educator (physics and chemistry at secondary and undergraduate level) and has made numerous presentations including radiation safety training to public, worker, and government groups and at technical symposia on occupational radiation protection at uranium facilities and on naturally occurring (NORM / TENORM) radioactivity. He has recently completed a second successive four-year appointment on the Governor of Colorado’s Radiation Advisory Committee and was appointed Chair in 2022.

In Recent Years

Mr. Brown has been the radiological subject matter expert for the US Department of Energy’s Defense Related Uranium Mine (DRUM) program, which involves the characterization, assessment, and prioritization of over 3500 abandoned uranium mining sites that produced uranium ore for the US defense program prior to 1970.

He has performed fate and transport analysis for numerous uranium sites to determine radiological concentrations in environmental media acceptable to the applicable regulators for release of land and facilities for unrestricted use. He has performed field radiological assessments and conducted radiological surveys at many active and former (legacy) uranium processing and mining sites in New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Utah, Arizona, and Wyoming and has published numerous technical papers on the radiological and environmental aspects of uranium mining and milling.

He was task leader for the US EPA on updates of two major reports, one assessing the circumstances and exposure potential associated with TENORM from “unconventional” oil and gas extraction and a second similarly on TENORM associated with rare earth mineral processing industries. Additionally, in a staff augmentation role for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NNRC), provided support for the development of comprehensive regulations and guidance for uranium exploration, mining and milling and for preparation of associated license applications.

SUMMARY OF CERTIFICATIONS Awards, and Other Related Qualifications

  • Fellow, National Health Physics Society
  • Fellow, Waste Management Symposium Inc.
  • Certified in Comprehensive Health Physics, American Board of Health Physics 1983 (Most recent recertification in 2020); Diplomat, American Academy of Health Physics
  • American Academy of Health Physics Board of Directors (2015–2018)
  • American Board of Health Physics Certification Panel of Examiners (1988–1992 and 2017–2021) and Chair, Appeals Committee (2001)
  • International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA – United Nations) Working Group on Occupational Radiation Protection in Uranium Mines and Processing Facilities (2015–present)
  • President, Rocky Mountain Chapter, Health Physics Society, (1982‑1983 and 2008‑2009)
  • General Chairman, 18th Midyear Symposium (“Environmental Radiation”), National Health Physics Society, Colorado Springs, (1985)
  • Chairman, Uranium Committee, Colorado Mining Association, (2007–present)
  • Radiation Safety Officer for over ten USNRC and/or USNRC Agreement State Radioactive Material licenses.
  • Instructor, 40-hour Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) Course, Nevada Technical Associates
  • Appointed by Governor of Colorado to State’s Radiation Advisory Committee (2016–2020) and reappointed for second term (2020‑2024)
  • US DOE Certificate of Appreciation – Rocky Flats Long Range Utilization Study – 1982

FORMAL EDUCATION

  • M.S. Physical Science, West Chester University, Pennsylvania, 1974
  • B.S. Physics , Temple University, Pennsylvania, 1971
  • A.B.S. Radiological Health, Temple University, Pennsylvania, 1970