SIST EN ISO 14146:2024

Overview

EN ISO 14146:2024 - Radiological protection - Criteria and performance limits for the periodic evaluation of dosimetry services for external radiation - specifies dosimetric and organizational criteria, test procedures and performance limits for the periodic verification of dosimetry services. Applicable to both personal dosemeters and area (workplace or environmental) dosemeters, the standard supports quality assurance of services that supply and process dosemeters for external photon, beta and neutron radiation.

Key topics and requirements

• Scope of applicability: External photon radiation (fluence-weighted mean energy 8 keV to 10 MeV), beta radiation (60 keV to 1.2 MeV) and neutrons (thermal 25.3 meV up to 200 MeV).
• Dosemeters covered: Laboratory‑processed passive types (thermoluminescent (TLD), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), radiophotoluminescent (RPL), track, photographic film) and active or hybrid systems (DIS, SiPM) when evaluated as passive systems.
• Performance evaluation: Defines test conditions, irradiation qualities representative of workplace fields, dose ranges, and performance limits and approval criteria for corrected indicated values (final reported dose equivalent in sieverts).
• Organizational criteria: Addresses the role of staff training, calibration procedures and quality assurance programmes in the overall quality of a dosimetry service.
• Quantities: Treats dose equivalent (Sv) and environmental quantities such as H*(10), H'(3), H'(0.07), air kerma (Ka) and absorbed dose (D). If Ka or D are reported in gray (Gy) the standard interprets stated Sv values as equivalent Gy where applicable.
• Evaluation process: Specifies sample size, evaluation sequence, test reporting and frequency of periodic verification (examples in the standard include monitoring intervals such as several weeks to one month).
• Supporting material: Annex A (reference and standard test conditions) and Annex B (graphical illustrations of performance limits).

Applications and users

• Dosimetry service providers conducting internal or external periodic verification to demonstrate compliance with performance requirements.
• Calibration laboratories and accreditation bodies assessing conformance of dosimetry services.
• Radiation protection officers, employers and regulators who rely on validated personal and environmental monitoring results.
• Organizations implementing or harmonizing quality assurance for occupational and environmental radiation monitoring.

Related standards

• ISO 4037 series (X and gamma reference radiations)
• ISO 6980 series (reference beta radiation)
• ISO 8529 (neutron reference fields) These normative references provide the reference radiation fields and calibration methods used by EN ISO 14146:2024.

Keywords: EN ISO 14146:2024, dosimetry services, radiological protection, personal dosemeters, area dosemeters, performance evaluation, external radiation, H*(10), TLD, OSL, neutron dosimetry.