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SC 2-5: Investigation of Radiological Incidents
The report produced by Scientific Committee 2-5 will:
- describe the process to be followed for investigating a radiological incident. A radiological incident is defined as an event or sequence of events outside of normal operations that adversely affects the health and safety of workers or the public, results in property damage, or negatively impacts the environment. It could also include events that lead to significant noncompliance with regulations or result in adverse public perception. A radiological incident could also include an event or series of events that could have led to these adverse consequences if the circumstances had been slightly different.
- describe the investigation process used to determine how and why the incident occurred (causal analysis), how to prevent the incident from reoccurring, and how to evaluate the consequences of the incident. The actions of incident response personnel will be discussed, including the need to take control and stabilize the situation, preserve the incident scene, and make the initial notifications to management and regulatory authorities. However, the report will focus primarily on the investigation process to be followed after incident response personnel have completed their initial activities. This report will not address incidents that result from terrorist or other criminal acts since they will be investigated by law enforcement agencies.
- address the formation of the incident investigation committee, committee membership, the use of consultants and specialists, and the conduct of the investigation. The report will provide recommendations for the training and qualifications of incident investigation personnel. It will discuss the procedures for controlling the incident scene to prevent loss of information, recovering any physical items that may have been removed, and gathering information related to the incident. The radiological information could include personnel dosimeter results, bioassay sample results, air and swipe sample results, and radiation survey measurements. Additional information collected would include photographs, videotapes, logbooks and other records, and diagrams and sketches of the incident scene.
- cover the process and techniques for interviewing personnel directly involved in the incident, line management personnel, and safety personnel. The investigation process will include determining of the sequence of events, and evaluating engineered barriers, administrative controls, and human factors as they relate to the incident. It will also discuss reviewing any changes in work activities as they could have contributed to the incident. Change analysis is especially important for research activities where change is the norm.
- address preparation of incident investigation reports. These will usually include a description of the incident, an evaluation of the radiological consequences to personnel, property, the environment and the public. The reports should also include conclusions, determination of the root cause of the incident, judgments-of-need and recommendations for changes to minimize the possibility of the reoccurrence of the incident or a similar incident.
A preliminary draft of the report was discussed at the PAC 2 meeting on March 7, 2010. Revisions to the draft report were made and comments were due back to the Chairman no later than October 15, 2010. The Committee met on March 6, 2011 in conjunction with the NCRP Annual Meeting. The report is being revised following PAC review and will be submitted for Council review in 2012.
The membership of SC 2-5 is:
D.S. Myers, Chairman
E.D. Bailey
C.D. Berger
M.L. Birch
J.R. Frazier
E.M. Goldin
J.W. Luetzelschwab
K.L. Miller
J.W. Poston, Sr.
K.H. Pryor
J. Walkowicz
J. Yusko
T.S. Tenforde, NCRP Contact
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