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:
r radioanalytical measurements should be selected to provide a management tool for tracking and trending performance and to identify precursors to nonconforming conditions. Laboratories should satisfy program-specific criteria for all measurement processes, including necessary levels of PRECISION, acceptable BIAS, and applicable detection levels. DG-4010, Page 10 6.1 Calibration and Quality Control of Instruments, Measuring Devices, and Test Equipment Instruments, devices, and test equipment used for measuring radioactivity should be operated, calibrated, and maintained to ensure that analytical specifications are met. All equipment should be operated, calibrated, and maintained in adherence to any applicable standards and methods and as specified in the laboratory’s quality manual and standard operating procedures. Instrument configurations during calibration should match those used for subsequent analytical measurements of samples. Calibrations of instruments should be made using CERTIFIED REFERENCE MATERIALS of known and documented value and stated uncertainty and should be traceable to a national standards body, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States. CALIBRATION SOURCES should be prepared in a manner that provides comparability to TEST SOURCES with respect to source geometry, positioning relative to the detector, source composition, and distribution of the test-source material within a container or on a source mount (see MARLAP, Section 15.2). The frequency of calibrations should be consistent with the stability and performance of the instrument. Complete system calibration should be performed before initial use or following system maintenance, repair, or any other changes in environment or operating conditions that could affect performance (ASTM D7282-2006). In addition, MARLAP Sections 15.2 and 15.3 present general guidance regarding calibrations of instruments. Chapter 15 of MARLAP also presents guidance