Radiation Safety Technical Services Quality Management System

The IAEA’s Radiation Safety Technical Services Laboratory applies quality management systems to ensure the highest quality of radiation protection services to individuals involved in the Agency’s activities worldwide, and can serve as a model to similar laboratories in Member States.

Quality management systems are used to standardize the laboratory’s processes and to adequately document, record, verify and control its information. This helps the laboratory to achieve and maintain technical competence, valid impartial results and, with these, the integrity of the IAEA and its activities.

The application of quality management systems in the laboratory, as in all laboratories in radiation protection, strengthens compliance with international standards (ISO/IEC 17025:2017), with applicable national and international legislation, national regulatory requirements, and safety and security requirements in accordance with the IAEA Safety Standards in Leadership and Management for Safety (GSR Part 2) and in Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources (GSR Part 3).

The laboratory’s methods are accredited by the national accreditation body of Austria, Akkreditierung Austria (Laboratory ID number: 0251), where the laboratory is located. Accreditation is granted following an independent evaluation, it confirms that the laboratory operates a recognized quality management system, and provides international recognition of the technical competence of the laboratory staff, the appropriateness of the testing methods, the quality of the test data and the validity of the results.

The system applied at the laboratory can serve as a reference for laboratories with similar activities to ensure that the personnel dosimetry and workplace monitoring services meet the highest expectations of all stakeholders, including customers, regulators and other government authorities.

For more information on quality management systems for radiation protection laboratories, accreditation procedures, and best practices, please contact the Radiation Safety Technical Services laboratory.

IAEA General Safety Guide on The Management System for Technical Services in Radiation Safety (No. GS-G-3.2), provides further details on radiation protection and how to integrate a laboratory QMS.