Radiation Physics Division Quality Management System Guide RPD-G-11

TRAINING

Version: 4.20 Page 1 of 3 Approval: JMA Effective Date: 11/15/2021

Purpose

The purpose is to establish the protocol for identifying training needs, authorizing 

staff into the quality system, and providing training of personnel.

Scope

This Guide applies to everyone involved with calibration and SRM measurement 

services.

Definitions

N/A

Protocol

All NIST employees are encouraged to engage in an average of 24 hours of 

training, formal or informal, annually.

Types of training

Formal training is usually achieved through off-site non-NIST entities or 

electronically through the Commerce Learning Center. Formal training is any 

training that requires a record to be held in the employee’s permanent file.

Non-formal training may be obtained by reviewing technical journals, attending 

meetings of technical societies, attending workshops, seminars and technical 

meetings dealing with related issues and actively participating with organizations 

developing and implementing ionizing radiation standards.

All RPD employees that have a role in RPD calibration and SRM measurement

services are required to receive training on the quality management system before 

authorization into the quality system. This training will be designed to improve 

the employees’ understanding of the quality management system elements.

Formal training administration

1. The calibration/testing staff and Group Leaders have the authority to identify 

needs for documented, formal training. 

2. The trainee requests or is requested to undertake training.

3. If required, the training request is then forwarded to the Group Leader and the 

Division Chief for approval.
Radiation Physics Division Quality Management System Guide RPD-G-11

TRAINING

Version: 4.20 Page 2 of 3 Approval: JMA Effective Date: 11/15/2021

Informal training

1. The calibration/testing staff and Group Leaders have the authority to identify 

needs for informal training.

2. There are no approvals necessary for informal training.

Quality management system training

1. The Quality Manager, or his/her designate, will conduct training periodically 

on all aspects the quality management system. Supplemental updates and 

information distributed by email may suffice as training when appropriate.

RPD-level training may be substituted for NIST-level quality management 

system training.

2. A participant list will be prepared by the Quality Manager and distributed 

prior to the training session.

3. The Quality Manager will maintain a file containing information for each

training session. If the training involves material that is only distributed in 

hard copy, it shall be included in the correspondence folder of the Quality 

Office. This file will contain the participant list, the subject matter covered 

and the date of the training. If the training involves the distribution of 

electronic training material, the records are maintained electronically, by the 

Quality Manager, on a spreadsheet in the access-controlled portion of the 

Quality Management System. The training material is distributed by email and 

stored in the Quality Management System files. For electronic training, the 

participant list is the distribution list. 

Quality management system authorization of personnel

The calibration and SRM staff are authorized by the Division Chief through the Group 

Leader to perform specific service ID’s and SRM’s including, but not limited 

to, the development, modification, verification and validation of methods, analysis of 

results, and report review authority. The procedure for the authorization of staff within 

the RPD follows.

1. The training records of the authorization training process will be developed by 

the scientist performing the training and provided to the Group Leader for 

documentation of the complete authorization and maintained electronically 

with the approving memo of authorization.

2. The declaration of staff member competence shall address 

a) the period of evaluation/training, 

b.) the expert(s) that provided oversight of evaluation/training,

c) Quality Management System training,
Radiation Physics Division Quality Management System Guide RPD-G-11

TRAINING

Version: 4.20 Page 3 of 3 Approval: JMA Effective Date: 11/15/2021

d) technical and scientific training on each procedure associated with the

service,

e) safety training to include hazard and safety protocol development,

f) measurement service-related data storage policy and,

g) administrative procedures to include shipping, billing, calibrations tracking 

software, and report writing

3. Group Leaders will ensure that the staff meets minimum requirements to

perform the required measurements and that adequate training is provided as

needed to protect the integrity of the measurement service. Staff members

that are determined to be competent to perform a specific calibration or SRM

service will be recommended by written authorization from the Group Leader

to the Division Chief containing all elements of (2), above.

4. The Division Chief authorizes a staff member to perform a specific calibration 

or SRM service. The authorization and its effective date are established 

through written notification from the Division Chief to the Quality Manager.

5. Upon the receipt of the Division Chief’s authorization for a staff member to 

perform a specific service, the Quality Manager will notify Calibration 

Services or the SRM Coordinator who will notify the Office of Reference 

Materials of the additional authorized staff.

6. The authorization memo circulated by email is converted into a document and 

retained in the division’s quality system by the Quality Manager. The 

complete training record, generated by the scientist performing the training, 

will be retained electronically in the authorization record folder. The 

authorization date for each staff, including the services associated with the 

authorization are documented in the QMII Appendix C.

Documentation

Quality Management System Training file

L:\internal\846.02\ridshare\QUALITY\QUALITY\2017Obrien).

Filing and Retention

Training histories (since employment at NIST) are maintained by NIST.

The Quality Manager will maintain the Quality Management System Training 

files indefinitely.