Australian National Radiation Dose Register: current status and future direction

Full text: Since its inception in 2010, the ANRDR has moved beyond the uranium industry to allow employers from all industries with occupationally exposed workers to participate. To achieve its goals and maximise its potential, a national dose register must attain coverage of all radiation workers in the country in which it operates. However, due to the onus on employers to voluntarily sign up and commit to making regular submissions, with the exception of the uranium mining and milling industry and ARPANSA's licence holders for whom participation is mandatory, the ANRDR has seen a slow uptake. To address this issue, ARPANSA established an independent Advisory Board comprised of regulatory representatives from most jurisdictions with the aim of developing strategies and providing advice to ARPANSA on the advancement of the dose register. On the advice of the Advisory Board, ARPANSA has changed direction to pursue a model for collection of dose records directly from dosimetry service providers (DSPs). This model is in line with the approaches used in other countries with well-established national dose registers, such as Canada and the United Kingdom. The creation of a proposed accreditation program that would require DSPs to meet specific conditions to be permitted to operate in Australia will support this objective with the inclusion of a requirement for the submission of dose records to the ANRDR. Operating a centralised register for long-term maintenance of occupational dose records is considered best practice as set out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in their General Safety Guidance no. GSG-7 for Occupational Radiation Protection (2018). In Australia this is captured in the Code for Radiation Protection in Planned Exposure Situations (RPS C-1) (ARPANSA 2020). ARPANSA is now working towards closing this gap and enhancing radiation protection for all radiation workers. This paper will provide an overview of ARPANSA's activities in relation to and strategic direction of the ANRDR. (author)