Document: NRC Regulatory Guide
Document ID: a5cfec96-8785-464b-ada8-dc4424b90606
Document Type: regulatory_guide
Title: Quality Assurance for Radiological Monitoring Programs
Source: NRC Regulatory Guide Division 4
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0630/ML063060429.pdf
Revision Date: 2023-06
Chapter: 
Section ID: RG-4.15
CFR Part: 
CFR Title: 

Content:
uirement unless the requesting document displays a currently valid OMB control number. DG-4010, Page 5 B. DISCUSSION As used in the context of this guide, QA comprises all those planned and systematic actions that are necessary to provide adequate confidence in the ASSESSMENT of monitoring results. QUALITY CONTROL (QC) comprises those QA actions that provide a means to measure and control the characteristics of measurement equipment and processes to meet established standards; QA includes QC. This guide makes no further effort to distinguish those elements that may be considered QC from those composing QA. Quality assurance is necessary to ensure that all radiological and nonradiological measurements that support the radiological monitoring program are reasonably valid and of a defined quality. These programs are needed (1) to identify deficiencies in the sampling and measurement processes and report them to those responsible for these operations so that CORRECTIVE ACTION can be taken, and (2) to obtain some measure of confidence in the results of the monitoring programs to assure the regulatory agencies and the public that the results are valid. All steps of the monitoring process (for example, sampling, shipment of SAMPLES, receipt of samples in the laboratory, preparation of samples, radiological measurements, data reduction, data evaluation, and reporting of the measurement and monitoring results) should involve QA. An effective overall management system for quality must precede the design of a QA program. A document by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/IEC 17025-2005) is available for use by laboratories in developing their management system for quality, administrative, and technical operations. Once a quality management system is in place, a DIRECTED PLANNING PROCESS can be used to define the data objectives for the specific monitoring program. The DATA QUALITY OBJECTIVE (DQO) process (EPA QA/G-4-2006) provides one example of how to