Paulka Radiation & Environment Pty Ltd

Radiation a Hot Business to Be In

John — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:24:51 +0000

A GLOBAL shortage of radiation safety officers amid burgeoning mining activity and the need for mentors has led Sharon Paulka to set up her own business in South Australia.

Ms Paulka, one of just ten mine site radiation experts in the country and a key member of BHP Billiton’s Olympic Dam Environmental Impact Statement team, set up Paulka Radiation & Environment recently to help stem the industry shortage.

Fresh from a trip to Namibia where she helped the International Atomic Energy Agency train African nation representatives in radiation risk assessment, Ms Paulka said the next six to 12 months will be crucial to obtaining one or two contracts and mentoring new entrants by offering them a chance to “learn on the job”.

link to Adelaide Now web article

Women Making Their Mark in Mining

John — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:22:34 +0000

WOMEN make up less than 18 per cent of the mining workforce and most have to “sink or swim” to achieve success in the male-dominated sector.

For Uranium Equities radiation manager Sharon Paulka, a career in radiation began with modifying an X-ray machine into an X-ray absorption machine, opting for a science degree and eventually “getting her hands dirty” at the Honeymoon uranium mine in South Australia’s northeast.

Her 20 years’ hands-on experience led her to set up consulting services company Paulka Radiation & Environment in SA.

“I have always been interested in radiation, so the uranium industry was the most obvious choice,” Ms Paulka said.

“There are quite a few young women studying radiation and mining engineering; it all depends on the personality type I guess.”