[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]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-M