Operational Topic Providing insights and actionable data to radiation protection personnel is an essential component of a successful radiation safety program. Aggregating radiation dosimetry data into dashboards at an institution and enterprise level by yearly or quarterly views provides improved oversight of the radiation safety program and enhances analysis of the data.
Improvements in Radiation Monitoring Trending Christopher Neil Passmore and Mirela Kirr* Abstract: One of the main goals for Radiation Safety Professionals is to help maintain radiation worker doses below administrative control levels. In the radiation safety field there is an increasing recognition of the value of dosimetryrelated data that can be used to enhance safety programs and regulatory compliance. Mining radiation dosimetry data and rendering results in the form of dashboards provides insights for the Radiation Safety Professionals that could help improve the radiological protection programs effectiveness, enhances quality, and reduces cost. Quite often the professionals spend more time assembling data than analyzing for trends and acting to improve the radiation safety program. Data
*Landauer, 2 Science Road, Glenwood, IL 60425‐1586.
analysis tools were developed allowing the radiation safety professionals to perform surveillance on key parameters in the dosimetry program that can help identifying risks and insure early intervention. More than 2,200 institutions chosen from different industries were surveyed for more than 2 years after the implementation of this tool. Four indicators: dose per participant, collective dose, dosimeter return compliance, and number of workers exceeding ALARA levels were chosen as meaningful parameters in characterizing the health of the program. These parameters were tracked, analyzed, and compared to benchmarks developed based on more than 1 million monitored workers. Health Phys. 000(Supplement 000):S000–S000; 2017 Key words: operational topics; as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA); dose, collective; dosimetry, personnel
INTRODUCTION In the radiation safety field there is an increased recognition of the value of dosimetry related data and related metrics that can be used to enhance safety programs and regulatory compliance. Data
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Chris Passmore currently holds the position of Vice President of Dosimetry Services at Landauer. Chris Passmore has more than 26 years of experience in all aspects of dosimetry and radiological protection fields. Passmore serves as a United States delegate and technical expert to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) TC45 and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC85. In addition to international standard committees he also serves as a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) and Health Physics Society Standard Committee. Prior to joining Landauer, Chris Passmore worked for 10 years in the Department of Energy nuclear weapons complex managing external and internal dosimetry programs at Rocky Flats Plant and Pantex. He was also appointed as assessor for the Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program in 1993 and fulfilled this role until joining LANDAUER in the fall of 2000. Chris Passmore holds MS Degree in Health Physics from National Technological University, a BS in Nuclear Engineering from Arizona State University, and a BS Degree in both Physics and Engineering from Illinois College. He is also certified in comprehensive health physics by the American Board of Health Physics.
Operational Radiation Safety
analysis tools that involve digital processing of available data for providing insights into trends, benchmark comparison, and innovation drivers were used to improve the oversight of the radiation safety program and enhanced analysis of the data. The tools helped the radiation protections professionals to identify risks and insure early intervention in case of unfavorable trend. Several key indicators of the health of the dosimetry programs were captured in a dashboard. They include as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) performance, dosimeter return compliance, collective dose, and collective dose distribution by enterprise, institution, department, and individuals provide key indicators of the health of the radiation protection program. More than 2,200 institutions were analyzed to identify trends and understand behavioral changes.
DISCUSSION Dosimeter return compliance Timely dosimeter exchange is a leading indicator of an effective radiological protection program. Inspectors and regulators judge the radiation program based on compliance with regular scheduled dosimetry exchanges. Dosimeter exchange compliance is seen as a leading indicator of the effectiveness of the Radiation
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C. N. Passmore and M. Kirr
Radiation monitoring
FIG 1. Dosimeter return compliance by quarter.
FIG 2. Dosimeter return compliance by subaccount.
Safety Program. Timely return of dosimeters provides valuable occupational dose data regarding radiation workers exposure, which could not be obtained if the dosimeter is not returned. For example, if a worker on a quarterly exchange does not return their dosimeter for one exchange, 25% of the occupational dose record is missing. The dosimeter return compliance dashboard provides the radiation protection professional detailed information regarding the number of participants who have not exchanged their assigned dosimeters, Fig. 1. With the help of the dosimeter return compliance graph, the radiation safety professional is able to quickly determine the status of the dosimeter exchange and act on the information as needed. Institutions generally divide their workers into distinct groupings by major function. This corporate structure is mimicked in radiation safety programs with an account being similar to a company and subaccounts being the primary function (e.g., 2
radiology). Participants are then grouped in these subaccounts, such that similar activities can be compared and outliers identified. Dosimeter return compliance by subaccount graph provides a summary of groups with highest percentage of unreturned dosimeters, Fig. 2. This graph has been referenced as a critical tool used by radiation protection professionals for improving compliance with dosimeter exchanges by highlighting missing dosimeters within various departments. Managers
of departments with low exchange rates become more involved in helping to improve compliance. The graph provides a comparison of dosimeter exchange rates by departments and a benchmark based on 3-y trending of dosimeter exchange rates. Benchmarks were established based on over 30 million data points obtained from approximately 1 million participants over a 3‐y period. Improved dosimeter return compliance can be realized by identifying participants who have not returned their dosimeter on time, or by looking for specific trends in different departments (from least to more compliant). The dosimeter return compliance graph also identifies opportunities to reduce the number of unreturned dosimeters and if additional investments are required in the dosimetry program to replace the dosimeters. In the past 2 years since the implementation of the tool, 62.2% of departments have experienced improvements in the dosimetry compliance rate. The success could be attributed to the easy visualization of data and focusing time on meaningful action instead of spending time with pulling together data. For institutions with an extensive number of departments, the gamification or competition between managers responsible for different subaccounts can be very powerful and has been attributed to increasing compliance by as much as 25%.
FIG 3. Collective Hp(10) dose trend quarter by quarter. www.health-physics.com
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Month 2017
The Radiation Safety Journal
Vol. 000, Month 2017
for a sample hospital, with the bars representing the total dose and the line representing the number of participants. Exploring collective dose trends by quarter can provide insights into the dose trends and provide for early intervention in the case of unfavorable trends. Plotting collective dose can provide a visual of the impacts investments have on the radiation safety program or highlight areas that need additional focus. The data can help in assessing the return on investments in the areas of training, new equipment, or additional shielding. Over the last 2 years, we noticed that institutions that performed this analysis regularly identified a reduction of 3.9 person-rem and 64.6% of the groups studied reduced their collective effective dose.
FIG 4. Institution ALARA performance.
As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) Performance Comparisons The ALARA comparison plot provides the radiation protection professionals with actionable data and additional insight into personnel receiving higher radiation dose. By comparing data across various institutions within an enterprise, the radiation protection professionals are able to quickly identify institutions that are struggling to keep the dose below ALARA thresholds, Fig. 4. ALARA benchmarking data determined from the institution and Landauer users provide a quick estimate of the overall performance. Data was mined from over 1 million participant doses over a 3‐y period to determine the percent that
FIG 5. ALARA performance by group.
Collective Dose Trending Collective dose is the sum of the Hp(10) over a period of time for a population of workers (ICRP 2007). ICRP 103 states; “Collective effective dose is an instrument for optimization, for comparing radiological technologies and protection procedures.” Fig. 3 displays the collective Hp(10) over the last 12 quarters Operational Radiation Safety
FIG 6. Individual ALARA performance. www.health-physics.com
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C. N. Passmore and M. Kirr
exceed ALARA Level 1 or ALARA Level 2. Studying specific groups or departments can also indicate which institutions are performing at higher levels (Fig. 5). Quickly identifying individuals exceeding ALARA thresholds provides the radiation protection professional an early indication of where corrective actions could be implemented (Fig. 6). In the case of ALARA monitoring, 64.4% of groups noticed a reduction in the number of workers exceeding ALARA levels. Fetal Dose Tracking In most states and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) licenses, the embryo/fetus is limited to 5 mSv (500 mrem) over the gestation period once the mother declares her pregnancy (U.S. NRC 1998). 10CFR20.1208(d) states that “If the dose equivalent to the embryo/fetus is found to have exceeded 0.05 rem (5 mSv), or is within 0.05 rem (0.5 mSv) of this dose, by the time the woman declares the pregnancy to the licensee, the licensee shall be deemed to be in compliance with paragraph (a) of this section if the additional dose equivalent to the embryo/fetus does not exceed 0.05 rem (0.5 mSv) during the remainder of the pregnancy.” In addition, paragraph b of the same publication states that “the licensee shall make efforts to avoid substantial variation above a uniform monthly exposure rate
Radiation monitoring
FIG 8. Fetal dose compared to monthly goal.
to a declared pregnant woman. Due to this, many states have instituted a 50 mrem (0.5 mSv) level per month for fetal radiation dose. Fig. 7 provides the radiation protection professional with a quick overview of workers trending toward the limit and the ones exceeding the limit. The fetal dose summary plot is divided into areas that indicate when a participant has exceeded the legal limit of 500 mrem (5 mSv) and also if the worker is above or below the trend line on a cumulative dose over the gestation period. Using this quick indicator, the Radiation Protection Professional is able to quickly determine which workers are being exposed at a rate that may exceed the limit. In addition, the plot provides a clear indication of the 9th month of pregnancy; this provides a reminder to the radiation safety professional of workers who may be able to be removed from the fetal monitoring program.
To complement the data presented above, Fig. 8 provides the summary of declared pregnant workers nearing or exceeding the monthly guidance, which is an indication of the uniformity of the dose over the gestation period.
CONCLUSION Visualization of data helps revealing details that might not be readily available by just reviewing individual data on occupational dose reports. The visualization of the data provides insights that could otherwise be overlooked. Rendering data in forms that can be quickly synthesized provides the Radiation Protection Professional with clear actions to improve compliance and keep dose ALARA. The 2‐y trend data identified that 62.2% of groups studied showed improvement in their dosimeter compliance rate. For the same time frame, 64.6% improved their collective effective dose and 64.4% improved their ALARA compliance by reducing the number of people exceeding the threshold.
REFERENCES International Commission on Radiological Protection. The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Oxford: ICRP; Publication 103; 2007. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, DC: U.S. NRC; 10CFR20.1208, 56 FR 23396, May 21, 1991, as amended at 63 FR 39482; 1998.
FIG 7. Fetal dose summary. 4
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Improvements in Radiation Monitoring Trending Christopher Neil Passmore and Mirela Kirr* Abstract: One of the main goals for Radiation Safety Professionals is to help maintain radiation worker doses below administrative control levels. In the radiation safety field there is an increasing recognition of the value of dosimetryrelated data that can be used to enhance safety programs and regulatory compliance. Mining radiation dosimetry data and rendering results in the form of dashboards provides insights for the Radiation Safety Professionals that could help improve the radiological protection programs effectiveness, enhances quality, and reduces cost. Quite often the professionals spend more time assembling data than analyzing for trends and acting to improve the radiation safety program. Data
*Landauer, 2 Science Road, Glenwood, IL 60425‐1586.
analysis tools were developed allowing the radiation safety professionals to perform surveillance on key parameters in the dosimetry program that can help identifying risks and insure early intervention. More than 2,200 institutions chosen from different industries were surveyed for more than 2 years after the implementation of this tool. Four indicators: dose per participant, collective dose, dosimeter return compliance, and number of workers exceeding ALARA levels were chosen as meaningful parameters in characterizing the health of the program. These parameters were tracked, analyzed, and compared to benchmarks developed based on more than 1 million monitored workers. Health Phys. 000(Supplement 000):S000–S000; 2017 Key words: operational topics; as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA); dose, collective; dosimetry, personnel
INTRODUCTION In the radiation safety field there is an increased recognition of the value of dosimetry related data and related metrics that can be used to enhance safety programs and regulatory compliance. Data
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Chris Passmore currently holds the position of Vice President of Dosimetry Services at Landauer. Chris Passmore has more than 26 years of experience in all aspects of dosimetry and radiological protection fields. Passmore serves as a United States delegate and technical expert to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) TC45 and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) TC85. In addition to international standard committees he also serves as a member of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) and Health Physics Society Standard Committee. Prior to joining Landauer, Chris Passmore worked for 10 years in the Department of Energy nuclear weapons complex managing external and internal dosimetry programs at Rocky Flats Plant and Pantex. He was also appointed as assessor for the Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program in 1993 and fulfilled this role until joining LANDAUER in the fall of 2000. Chris Passmore holds MS Degree in Health Physics from National Technological University, a BS in Nuclear Engineering from Arizona State University, and a BS Degree in both Physics and Engineering from Illinois College. He is also certified in comprehensive health physics by the American Board of Health Physics.
Operational Radiation Safety
analysis tools that involve digital processing of available data for providing insights into trends, benchmark comparison, and innovation drivers were used to improve the oversight of the radiation safety program and enhanced analysis of the data. The tools helped the radiation protections professionals to identify risks and insure early intervention in case of unfavorable trend. Several key indicators of the health of the dosimetry programs were captured in a dashboard. They include as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) performance, dosimeter return compliance, collective dose, and collective dose distribution by enterprise, institution, department, and individuals provide key indicators of the health of the radiation protection program. More than 2,200 institutions were analyzed to identify trends and understand behavioral changes.
DISCUSSION Dosimeter return compliance Timely dosimeter exchange is a leading indicator of an effective radiological protection program. Inspectors and regulators judge the radiation program based on compliance with regular scheduled dosimetry exchanges. Dosimeter exchange compliance is seen as a leading indicator of the effectiveness of the Radiation
www.health-physics.com
Copyright © 2017 Health Physics Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
1
C. N. Passmore and M. Kirr
Radiation monitoring
FIG 1. Dosimeter return compliance by quarter.
FIG 2. Dosimeter return compliance by subaccount.
Safety Program. Timely return of dosimeters provides valuable occupational dose data regarding radiation workers exposure, which could not be obtained if the dosimeter is not returned. For example, if a worker on a quarterly exchange does not return their dosimeter for one exchange, 25% of the occupational dose record is missing. The dosimeter return compliance dashboard provides the radiation protection professional detailed information regarding the number of participants who have not exchanged their assigned dosimeters, Fig. 1. With the help of the dosimeter return compliance graph, the radiation safety professional is able to quickly determine the status of the dosimeter exchange and act on the information as needed. Institutions generally divide their workers into distinct groupings by major function. This corporate structure is mimicked in radiation safety programs with an account being similar to a company and subaccounts being the primary function (e.g., 2
radiology). Participants are then grouped in these subaccounts, such that similar activities can be compared and outliers identified. Dosimeter return compliance by subaccount graph provides a summary of groups with highest percentage of unreturned dosimeters, Fig. 2. This graph has been referenced as a critical tool used by radiation protection professionals for improving compliance with dosimeter exchanges by highlighting missing dosimeters within various departments. Managers
of departments with low exchange rates become more involved in helping to improve compliance. The graph provides a comparison of dosimeter exchange rates by departments and a benchmark based on 3-y trending of dosimeter exchange rates. Benchmarks were established based on over 30 million data points obtained from approximately 1 million participants over a 3‐y period. Improved dosimeter return compliance can be realized by identifying participants who have not returned their dosimeter on time, or by looking for specific trends in different departments (from least to more compliant). The dosimeter return compliance graph also identifies opportunities to reduce the number of unreturned dosimeters and if additional investments are required in the dosimetry program to replace the dosimeters. In the past 2 years since the implementation of the tool, 62.2% of departments have experienced improvements in the dosimetry compliance rate. The success could be attributed to the easy visualization of data and focusing time on meaningful action instead of spending time with pulling together data. For institutions with an extensive number of departments, the gamification or competition between managers responsible for different subaccounts can be very powerful and has been attributed to increasing compliance by as much as 25%.
FIG 3. Collective Hp(10) dose trend quarter by quarter. www.health-physics.com
Copyright © 2017 Health Physics Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
Month 2017
The Radiation Safety Journal
Vol. 000, Month 2017
for a sample hospital, with the bars representing the total dose and the line representing the number of participants. Exploring collective dose trends by quarter can provide insights into the dose trends and provide for early intervention in the case of unfavorable trends. Plotting collective dose can provide a visual of the impacts investments have on the radiation safety program or highlight areas that need additional focus. The data can help in assessing the return on investments in the areas of training, new equipment, or additional shielding. Over the last 2 years, we noticed that institutions that performed this analysis regularly identified a reduction of 3.9 person-rem and 64.6% of the groups studied reduced their collective effective dose.
FIG 4. Institution ALARA performance.
As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) Performance Comparisons The ALARA comparison plot provides the radiation protection professionals with actionable data and additional insight into personnel receiving higher radiation dose. By comparing data across various institutions within an enterprise, the radiation protection professionals are able to quickly identify institutions that are struggling to keep the dose below ALARA thresholds, Fig. 4. ALARA benchmarking data determined from the institution and Landauer users provide a quick estimate of the overall performance. Data was mined from over 1 million participant doses over a 3‐y period to determine the percent that
FIG 5. ALARA performance by group.
Collective Dose Trending Collective dose is the sum of the Hp(10) over a period of time for a population of workers (ICRP 2007). ICRP 103 states; “Collective effective dose is an instrument for optimization, for comparing radiological technologies and protection procedures.” Fig. 3 displays the collective Hp(10) over the last 12 quarters Operational Radiation Safety
FIG 6. Individual ALARA performance. www.health-physics.com
Copyright © 2017 Health Physics Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
3
C. N. Passmore and M. Kirr
exceed ALARA Level 1 or ALARA Level 2. Studying specific groups or departments can also indicate which institutions are performing at higher levels (Fig. 5). Quickly identifying individuals exceeding ALARA thresholds provides the radiation protection professional an early indication of where corrective actions could be implemented (Fig. 6). In the case of ALARA monitoring, 64.4% of groups noticed a reduction in the number of workers exceeding ALARA levels. Fetal Dose Tracking In most states and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) licenses, the embryo/fetus is limited to 5 mSv (500 mrem) over the gestation period once the mother declares her pregnancy (U.S. NRC 1998). 10CFR20.1208(d) states that “If the dose equivalent to the embryo/fetus is found to have exceeded 0.05 rem (5 mSv), or is within 0.05 rem (0.5 mSv) of this dose, by the time the woman declares the pregnancy to the licensee, the licensee shall be deemed to be in compliance with paragraph (a) of this section if the additional dose equivalent to the embryo/fetus does not exceed 0.05 rem (0.5 mSv) during the remainder of the pregnancy.” In addition, paragraph b of the same publication states that “the licensee shall make efforts to avoid substantial variation above a uniform monthly exposure rate
Radiation monitoring
FIG 8. Fetal dose compared to monthly goal.
to a declared pregnant woman. Due to this, many states have instituted a 50 mrem (0.5 mSv) level per month for fetal radiation dose. Fig. 7 provides the radiation protection professional with a quick overview of workers trending toward the limit and the ones exceeding the limit. The fetal dose summary plot is divided into areas that indicate when a participant has exceeded the legal limit of 500 mrem (5 mSv) and also if the worker is above or below the trend line on a cumulative dose over the gestation period. Using this quick indicator, the Radiation Protection Professional is able to quickly determine which workers are being exposed at a rate that may exceed the limit. In addition, the plot provides a clear indication of the 9th month of pregnancy; this provides a reminder to the radiation safety professional of workers who may be able to be removed from the fetal monitoring program.
To complement the data presented above, Fig. 8 provides the summary of declared pregnant workers nearing or exceeding the monthly guidance, which is an indication of the uniformity of the dose over the gestation period.
CONCLUSION Visualization of data helps revealing details that might not be readily available by just reviewing individual data on occupational dose reports. The visualization of the data provides insights that could otherwise be overlooked. Rendering data in forms that can be quickly synthesized provides the Radiation Protection Professional with clear actions to improve compliance and keep dose ALARA. The 2‐y trend data identified that 62.2% of groups studied showed improvement in their dosimeter compliance rate. For the same time frame, 64.6% improved their collective effective dose and 64.4% improved their ALARA compliance by reducing the number of people exceeding the threshold.
REFERENCES International Commission on Radiological Protection. The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. Oxford: ICRP; Publication 103; 2007. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Code of Federal Regulations. Washington, DC: U.S. NRC; 10CFR20.1208, 56 FR 23396, May 21, 1991, as amended at 63 FR 39482; 1998.
FIG 7. Fetal dose summary. 4
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