Development of the Radiation Protection Management System for Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory Calibration Services

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Introduction

The Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory of PNRI (SSDL-PNRI) provides calibration services of radiation monitoring instruments such as survey meters, personal dosimeters, contamination meters and rate alarms. A laboratory information management system (LIMS) is important for real-time monitoring and recording of received released radiation monitoring instruments and faster issuance of certificates. The LIMS will also help the SSDL Calibration Services to conduct the service effectively. It also gives needed information on how to improve the service [1].

Materials and Methods

The Radiation Protection Management System (RPMS) Calibration module was programmed using PHP 5.6 and CodeIgniter Web Framework with the MySQL data management system. It is an independent web-based system deployed within the PNRI Internal Network to handle the calibration service processes of the Radiation Protection Services Section. Only authorized personnel may encode client information for the issuance of a calibration certificate (as shown in Figure 2). The Statement of Charges module is also connected to the RPMS Calibration for faster assessment and payment of fees. The system also provides for the printing of records such as calibration tag, calibration master list, worksheet, failed test reports, and calibration stickers. Parallel testing has been completed and calculations and data transfer were adjusted until the data base produced the desired results. The LIMS also provides a dashboard (as shown in Figure 1) to summarize the number of clients served and instruments calibrated.

Results and Discussion

The module was programmed to handle calibration processes for each instrument type e.g. survey meter, contamination meter, personal dosimeter, and rate alarm. As of today, only the processes for survey meters and personal dosimeters are fully managed and maintained using the RPMS Calibration module. The monitoring was significantly improved by having a single data base for all records accessible real-time and the reduction of hardcopy-based documents.

Conclusions

The RPMS Calibration module is an essential tool for collection, processing, recording, reporting, storage, and retrieval of data. The various reports and summaries produced by the system is very useful for making decisions and improving the conduct of services.