Signatures on Dose estimates

["Scott O. Schwahn" <schwahn@CEBAF.GOV>]

At 09:55 AM 12/20/96 -0600, Kim McMahan wrote:
>...ANSI N13.6 (1966, R-1972), Practice for Occupational Exposure
>Records Systems
>...list items that should [Noted: should, not shall] be
>included in a complete dose estimate. Among these are:
>
>(4) Pertinent information revealed by the inquiry (location and tasks,
>readings of the individual's other dosimeter(s), dose received by others,
>and results of time-motion studies),
>(6) Signature of the individual or his supervisor or both,
>(7) Signature of the investigator.

Question:
The ANSI says, "should", but I would question the need for the
individual/supervisor signature in all cases.  Our current policy is to only
require one of these signatures when a previously-reported dose has been
_changed_.  This was done for several reasons:
1) It is often very difficult to track down employees/supervisors to sign
the dose investigation report (DIR) (we have high turnover, as we are a
research facility);
2) In truth, while the dose read from a dosimeter is a physical measurement,
it is also an _estimate_ of the "true" dose a person received;
3) If the dose has not been reported to the user, I see no need to notify
her/him that we made an estimate other than the "estimate" as read by the
TLD processor.
4) As an example, if a DIR was initiated due to someone getting a medical
x-ray wearing the TLD, but the dose as read by the processor was zero or "M
(below minimum detection level)", I have to complete the report, but there
is no need, in my opinion, to having the user sign the report.

I completely agreee, and it is policy here, that if a dose that has been
reported to a user changes, they have to sign the form.  Am I missing some
valuable point to having the user/supervisor sign in other cases?  I have a
complete and thorough paper trail for all investigations, fully open to the
user/supervisor, but it would be a royal pain to have to track down all the
users who have not signed.  Eagerly looking forward to responses...

(Please let me know if this was unclear...)

Scott O. Schwahn, CHP
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility
Newport News, VA
schwahn@jlab.org