[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 231 (Friday, December 2, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-29655]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: December 2, 1994]
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program for Ionizing
Radiation Dosimetry
AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of change of proficiency testing standard.
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SUMMARY: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Commerce,
began a joint effort in 1981 through an Interagency Agreement to
provide an accreditation program for processors of personnel
dosimeters, now known as the National Voluntary Laboratory
Accreditation Program (NVLAP) for Ionizing Radiation Dosimetry. The
purpose of this notice is to acknowledge publication of a revised
proficiency testing standard for the NVLAP, to inform the public and
dosimetry processors of this action, to provide an effective date for
use of the revised standard, to identify significant changes in the
standard and request public comments on use of the standard.
DATES: Submit comments by January 31, 1995. Comments received after
this date will be considered if it is practical to do so but there is
no assurance that consideration can be given to comments received after
this date.
ADDRESSES: Mail written comments to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Washington DC 20555, Attention: Docketing and Service
Branch. Hand delivery comments to 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville,
Maryland between 7:45 am and 4:15 pm on Federal workdays.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 31, 1997.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donald O. Nellis, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, telephone (301) 415-6257,
or Paul R. Martin, National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Department of Commerce, NVLAP, Building 411, Room A162, Gaithersburg,
MD 20899, telephone (301) 975-3679.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRC's regulations (Sec. 20.1501),
require that all personnel dosimeters that require processing must be
processed and evaluated by a dosimetry processor holding current
personnel dosimetry accreditation from the National Voluntary
Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology. Proficiency testing, required as part of the
NVLAP accreditation process for Ionizing Radiation Dosimetry, is based
upon American National Standard ANSI N13.11-1983, ``Personnel Dosimetry
Performance--Criteria for Testing'' as specified in NIST Handbook 150-
4. A revision to this ANSI standard was approved by the American
National Standards Institute, Inc., in September 1993, and published as
ANSI N13.11-1993 in July 1994. The revision embodies changes in the
following irradiation categories: Category III, low energy photons;
Category V, beta particles; Category VIII, neutron-photon mixtures; and
adds a new Category IX, angle of incidence.
Accreditation under the NVLAP for Ionizing Radiation Dosimetry is
renewed annually, with proficiency testing taking place every 2 years
after the initial test. To prevent the possible loss of accreditation
that could occur as a result of changing from the original test
standard ANSI N13.11-1983, to the revised standard ANSI N13.11-1993,
the NRC and NIST/NVLAP intend to institute a phase-in period of testing
against the revised standard, beginning January 1, 1995. During this
phase-in period, dosimetry processing laboratories will be tested
against the revised standard when their normal accreditation
proficiency testing date comes due. Any laboratory that fails the
proficiency test due to changes made in the revised standard will not
have their current accreditation suspended, but will be required to
retest and pass those failed categories before January 31, 1997, in
order to maintain accredited status.
Any failure of proficiency testing during this phase-in period that
is not attributable to changes in the test standard, however, could
affect the processing laboratory's accreditation status.
The revised standard, ANSI N13.11-1993, will be implemented as
published with the following exceptions:
(1) Categories III(a), III(b) and VI. The requirement for choosing
a primary low energy source and at least one other source from Category
III as described in the standard will not be used. For each group of
dosimeters tested, the source used will be randomly selected from the
five sources listed in Category III(a) or the three sources listed in
Category III(b), with the stipulation that for at least one of the
groups, the source chosen will be either M150 or H150.
(2) Category VIIIB testing will not be provided initially because a
suitable source with traceability to NIST is not available at the
present time.
(3) Category IX testing will be required only once for each
dosimeter model that is to be tested in Category III or IV. A retest
will be required whenever the dosimeter design is hanged or the dose
algorithm is modified.
For the Department of Commerce.
Albert D. Tholen,
Chief, Laboratory Accreditation Program, NIST.
Dated: November 25, 1994.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Bill M. Morris,
Director, Division of Regulatory Applications, Office of Nuclear
Regulatory Research.
[FR Doc. 94-29655 Filed 12-1-94; 8:45 am]
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