Accomplishments of the 

Subcommittee for Procedure 

Reviews

Kathleen Behling, SC&A, Inc.

Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health, 

Subcommittee for Procedure Reviews

November 16, 2023
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SPR procedure review responsibilities

 Technical information bulletins 

(TIBs)

– 13 DCAS currently active TIBs

– 1 Battelle currently active TIB

– 54 ORAUT currently active TIBs

 Implementation guidelines (IGs)

– 6 DCAS currently active IGs

 Performance evaluation reports 

(PERs)

– 90 DCAS currently active PERs

 Reports (RPRTs)

– 8 DCAS currently active RPRTs

– 61 ORAUT currently active RPRTs

(12 listed RPRTs are actually slide

presentations)

 Procedures (PROCs)

– 8 DCAS currently active PROCs

– 26 ORAUT currently active PROCs
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SPR’s review of TIBs

DCAS/Battelle TIBs (15 total)

• 5 not reviewed

• 10 reviewed (67% of current total)

• 4 of 10 reviews have been SPRapproved

• 1 reviewed TIB cancelled

• None of the SPR-approved

DCAS/Battelle TIBs presented to

Board

ORAUT TIBs (64 total)

• 4 not reviewed

• 60 reviewed (94% of current total)

• 10 TIBs reviewed under sitespecific work groups (WGs)

• 32 of 60 reviews have been SPRapproved

• 20 reviewed TIBs cancelled

• 14 SPR-approved ORAUT TIBs

presented to Board
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SPR’s review of IGs

 6 total IGs 

 3 not reviewed

 3 reviewed (50% of current total)

 2 of 3 reviewed IGs have been SPR-approved

 1 SPR-approved IG presented to Board
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SPR’s review of DCAS PERs

 90 total PERs 

 14 PERs SPR determined review not necessary

 28 not reviewed

 48 reviewed (63% of current total requiring a review)

 33 of 48 reviewed PERs have been SPR-approved

 23 SPR-approved PERs presented to Board
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SPR’s review of RPRTs

DCAS RPRTs (11 total)

• 7 not reviewed, mostly

administrative

• 4 reviewed (36% of current total)

• 4 of 4 reviews have been SPRapproved

• 3 reviewed RPRTs cancelled

• 1 SPR-approved DCAS RPRT

presented to Board

ORAUT RPRTs (22 total)

• 29 RPRTs reviewed under sitespecific WGs

• 9 not reviewed

• 13 reviewed (59% of current SPR

total)

• 2 of 13 reviews have been SPRapproved

• 1 reviewed RPRT cancelled

• 1 SPR-approved ORAUT RPRT

presented to Board
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SPR’s review of PROCs

DCAS PROCs (11 total)

• 7 not reviewed, mostly 

administrative

• 4 reviewed (36% of current total)

• 4 of 4 reviews have been SPRapproved

• 3 reviewed PROCs cancelled

• 1 SPR-approved DCAS PROC 

presented to Board

ORAUT PROCs (38 total)

• 13 not reviewed

• 25 reviewed (66% of current SPR 

total)

• 21 of 25 reviews have been SPRapproved

• 12 reviewed PROCs cancelled

• 7 SPR-approved ORAUT PROCs 

presented to Board
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New reviews: DR methodology and DR 

template documents

 ORAUT first developed technical basis documents (TBDs) for large DOE sites with 

many claims

 To balance claims processing, Battelle was hired to develop TBDs for smaller 

Atomic Weapons Employer (AWE) sites (primarily, uranium metal facilities)

– These TBDs have been reviewed by site-specific WGs

 For smaller DOE and AWE sites that did not perform uranium metal work, NIOSH 

developed DR guidance (instead of TBDs) that has not been reviewed by the 

Board:

– DR methodology documents

– DR templates

 SPR has started reviewing DR guidance, similar to our review of TBDs but less 

intensive than for larger sites
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DR methodology document

 Not formally published and is 

not posted on the NIOSH public 

website

 Initially used to process small 

numbers of claims from a 

particular site

 Content is similar to TBD 

information and guidance and 

typically includes:

– Facility description

– External dose assessment

– Occupational medical dose 

assessment

– Environmental dose assessment

– Internal dose assessment
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DR template

 Not formally published and is not posted on the NIOSH public 

website

 Is the DR report with color-coded text to indicate the type of 

information to be included or provide direction to the dose 

reconstructor

 Generated specifically for the claim being evaluated

– Uses as much site-specific information as could be compiled

– Explains how the EE’s radiation dose was reconstructed
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Statistics about DR guidance documents

 25 current sites

– 13 AWE sites

– 12 DOE sites

 9 sites not included since NIOSH has no current data

 2,508 total cases, as of December 2019, associated with 25 sites

 NIOSH plans to develop TBDs for 4 of the 25 sites
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SC&A DR methodology & template review

Review:

• Completeness of

data sources

• Consistency between

DR guidance and

data sources

• Technical accuracy of

guidance

• Scientific basis and

adequacy of data

Compare the DR 

methodology 

document to the DR 

template for 

consistency

Review one or two 

cases adjudicated 

using the DR 

methodology 

guidance and 

template
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Temporary BRS tracking document

The SPR maintains 2 tables to track document reviews during the 

Cybersecurity Modernization Initiative:

1. BRS tracking matrix summary – Overview of the number of findings 

and observations and their status for each reviewed document

2. BRS tracking matrix – Details of the resolution process for each 

finding and observation
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2 tables to track document reviews

BRS tracking matrix 

summary

• Total findings

• Total observations

• Open findings/observations

• In progress findings/observations

• In abeyance findings/observations

• Transferred findings/observations

• SPR-closed findings/observations

• ABRWH action

BRS tracking matrix

• Finding/observation number

• Finding/observation date,

description, SC&A followup actions

• NIOSH response & followup actions

• SPR action, followup actions,

resolution

• Finding/observation status

• Board action/resolution
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Questions?