US accreditation programmes for personal radiation dosimetry

In order to verify an acceptable level of safety in the workplace, it is necessary to measure the quantity of ionising radiation to which radiation workers could be, or actually are, exposed. At present, there are organisations capable of providing measurement results with good accuracy and precision. These organisations may provide personal dosimetry services to their own facilities, or to others on a contractual basis. They generally have high quality equipment and well trained personnel. However, in today's climate, it is important to demonstrate and document that these systems and services to others meet national standards of quality. In order to provide a higher level of confidence in the results generated by organisations that provide personal dosimetry services in the US, two accreditation programmes have been established. They are the Department of Energy Laboratory Accreditation Program (DOELAP) and the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP). These two programmes will be described and results will be given, along with plans for future development. (author)