[ RadSafe ] Annual Audit

[Lawrence Jacobi]

In response to Joel Cehn’s post regarding the sufficiency of a regulatory audit to meet the requirement for an annual radiation safety program audit, I don’t believe that the brevity of a regulatory audit is comprehensive enough to serve the interests of the licensee or the public.  I conduct radiation safety audits for a lot of different types of licensees.  It has been my experience that a good quality audit takes more time for preparation and conduct of the audit than most regulatory inspectors can afford to spend.  

A high-performing licensee will rely on an audit to help him find strengths and weaknesses in his radiation safety program as an aid to improve the program.  It shouldn’t be viewed as an obligatory task that needs to be checked off a list of burdensome compliance requirements.