EURADOS self-sustained programme of intercomparisons for individual monitoring services

TLDR

EURADOS WG2 developed a self‑sustained intercomparison system for individual external‑radiation monitoring services, with a second whole‑body dosimeter exercise planned for 2010. The intercomparison system, funded by participant fees, includes a 2009 extremity dosimeter exercise and a planned 2010 whole‑body dosimeter exercise. The 2008 whole‑body dosimeter intercomparison, involving 62 European systems, demonstrated that participants can verify compliance, benchmark against peers, and improve quality, though film systems generally show larger deviations than TLD systems.

Abstract

Within EURADOS working group 2, a system for self-sustained intercomparisons for individual monitoring services for external radiation was developed. With the intercomparison results, the participants can show compliance within their quality management system, compare their results with those from other participants and develop plans for improvement of their system. The costs of the exercises are covered by the participants fees. In this programme, the first intercomparison exercise for whole-body dosemeters has been executed in 2008 with 62 participating dosimetry systems from participants across Europe. In general, film systems show the largest deviations, although the results of some participants indicate that it is possible to achieve results with a film system with similar quality as for thermoluminescence dosimetry (TLD) systems. A second intercomparison has been organised for extremity dosemeters in 2009. For 2010 it is planned to organise a second intercomparison for whole-body dosemeters.