Re[2]: E-mailing dose records

["Bruce Dicey" <Bruce_Dicey@guardian.brooks.af.mil>]

This thread on dosimetry records is interesting and timely.

Two key functions of external dosimetry monitoring are to demonstrate compliance
with applicable regulations (NRC/State, etc.) and to assist the radiation safety
manager in planning work so that individuals do not accumulate exposures at an 
unacceptable rate. In those contexts, the "client" of a dosimetry processor is 
normally an institution rather than an individual employee.

Our laboratory provides personnel dosimetry services to Air Force personnel 
worldwide.  In this context, we provide consolidated reports to each facility 
following processing at the end of a dosimeter exchange period.  We also provide
individual reports to the local RSI at the end of each monitoring year.  The 
local RSO  then re-distributes to the individuals involved. Over many years we 
have also concluded that it is much more practical to establish a single point 
of contact at each facility and leave the individual report dissemination to the
local level.  Routinely distributing large numbers of individual reports would 
be a logistical nightmare -- I know of no practical way for central processing 
laboratories such as ours or commercial processors to keep track of literally 
tens of thousands of individuals who are constantly moving from place to place.

Our operation is a bit unique since we also maintain a central dose-of-record 
repository that any individual monitored by the Air Force can contact for 
purposes of obtaining prior exposure histories, etc.  We have found that 
disseminating consolidated reports to individual facilities and obtaining the 
assistance of those facilities in distributing individual annual summaries has 
been very effective -- most of the requests we obtain for prior exposure 
histories come from individuals formerly affiliated with the AF, not from those 
currently being monitored.

We have begun distributing individual dose reports on floppy disk and are 
developing procedures to do the same with consolidated reports at the end of 
each monitoring period.  Taking the extra step of posting this type data to a 
computer bulletin board or to the internet, while feasible, raises a number of 
questions, including: (a) safeguarding individual privacy, (b) restricting 
access to authorized individuals; (c) providing services to individuals who 
don't have ready access to electronic data transfer, and (c) protecting against 
corruption of archival data bases.  I'm sure there are many other issues.

It'll be interesting to read other's views on this issue.

Bruce Dicey
Chief Physicist - US Air Force Dosimetry
(210) 536-5569

>>> "Usual disclaimer" <<< 

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: RE: E-mailing dose records
Author:  radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu at guardian
Date:    7/12/96 1:11 PM



On Thu, 11 Jul 96, "William G. Nabor" <wgnabor@uci.edu> wrote:

>Alas!  In this day of e-mail and computer access, it is still cheaper to
>post personal information on the wall then to notify workers electronically,
>automatically.  Note: badge companies:  PLEASE come up with a method of
>notifying INDIVIDUALS via e-mail of their individual exposures.  This will
>prevent people from not wearing their badges to avoid having their boss get
>angry over a few mR exposure.

On Friday, 12 July 96, Mike Bielby replyed:
>OK, I'll bite.

>I work for a dosimetry company, and am overseeing a project to convert our 
>ancient computer system over to something more modern. We will have a web page 
>that will allow browsing, downloading, and local printing of reports in an 
>uneditable format, as well as a data file that the client can manipulate. 
>Unreturned badge lists, ALARA reports, adds, drops, barcodes, e-mail, the whole
>enchilada. 

>I interpret the above request as for notification to the badge wearer of their 
>dose directly, bypassing "the boss". While this is technically feasible, 
>assuming (huge assumption) everyone who is badged has an e-mail account, the 
>boss, as licensee (or representative), is responsible for tracking and limiting
>employee dose under that license. I can't imagine a scenario where an RSO would
>not demand dose report info for everyone badged.

>If that info was also e-mailed to the wearer to avoid having to post it 
>publically, there would be the admin burden of keeping the vendor notified of 
>everyone's current e-mail address, increased disk space requirements, still 
>needing to post for those without e-mail, etc.

>Frankly, I don't think it would work very well. 

>If anyone has suggestions beyond the usual for dosimetry vendor electronic data
>access I would appreciate a personal note. I'll be leaving for the HPS summer 
>school today so I  apologize in advance for not acknowledging your input 
>promptly. Thanks.

Mike Bielby
TLD Technical Manager
Radiation Detection Company
bielby@interserv.com