Individual monitoring setup for radiation workers in Nepal: an overview

With support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) through its Technical Cooperation Projects, the Individual Monitoring Service (IMS) was officially established at the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in December 2015. This advanced IMS is equipped with a TLD Reader System and manages around 1,500 TLDs. A milestone was achieved in March 2016 when the first personal dose report was issued to radiation workers, marking Nepal 's transition to self-reliance after previously relying on foreign IMS laboratories. IMS Nepal actively participated in the Inter-comparison Exercises conducted in 2018 and 2019, which brought together IMS facilities from across the Asia-Pacific region. These exercises, organized jointly by the IAEA and ARPANSA, aimed to foster regional collaboration and standardization. By participating and reporting uncertainties in dose evaluation, IMS Nepal enhanced its capability to produce accurate and reliable dose reports. Currently, the NAST Dosimetry Network (NDN) monitors over 1,200 radiation workers on a tri-monthly basis. The NDN provides detailed dose reports to individuals, outlining their personal dose equivalent Hp(10), with values typically around the annual dose limit of Hp(10) = 20 mSv, and the skin dose limit Hp(0.07) = 500 mSv. Since the program 's inception in 2016, the dose records for these workers have been carefully maintained, consistently showing that all monitored doses remain within safe limits. I will share further details about the dosimetry setup at NAST and its functions. (author)