SIST EN ISO 15382:2025
(Main)Radiological protection - Procedures for monitoring the dose to the lens of the eye, the skin and the extremities (ISO 15382:2025)
Radiological protection - Procedures for monitoring the dose to the lens of the eye, the skin and the extremities (ISO 15382:2025)
This document provides procedures for monitoring the dose to the skin, the extremities, and the lens of the eye. It gives guidance on how to decide if such dosemeters are needed and to ensure that individual monitoring is appropriate to the nature of the exposure, taking practical considerations into account.
This document specifies procedures for individual monitoring of radiation exposure of the skin of the body, extremities (skin of the hands, fingers, wrists, forearms including elbow, lower leg including patella, feet and ankles), and lens of the eye in planned exposure situations. It covers practices which involve a risk of exposure to photons in the range of 8 keV to 10 MeV, electrons and positrons in the range of 0,07 MeV to 1,2 MeV mean beta energies being equivalent to 0,22 MeV and 3,6 MeV beta maximum energy - in accordance to the ISO 6980 series, and neutrons in the range of thermal to 20 MeV.
This document gives guidance for the design of a monitoring programme to ensure compliance with legal individual dose limits. It refers to the appropriate operational dose quantities, and it gives guidance on the type and frequency of individual monitoring and the type and positioning of the dosemeter. Finally, different approaches to assess and analyse skin, extremity, and lens of the eye doses are given.
It is not in the scope of this document to consider exposure due to alpha radiation fields.
NOTE 1 The requirements for the monitoring of the occupational exposure may be given in national regulations.
NOTE 2 Dose to the lens of the eye due to intake of tritium is not in the scope of this document. Moreover, the situation of the workers that work in contaminated atmosphere and can have alpha and/or radon eye lens dose is also not in the scope.
Strahlenschutz - Verfahren für die Überwachung der Dosis von Augenlinse, Haut und Extremitäten (ISO 15382:2025)
Radioprotection - Procédures pour la surveillance des doses au cristallin, à la peau et aux extrémités (ISO 15382:2025)
Le présent document fournit des procédures de surveillance des doses à la peau, aux extrémités et au cristallin. Il fournit des recommandations pour déterminer si des dosimètres sont nécessaires et s’assurer que la surveillance individuelle est adaptée à la nature de l’exposition, en prenant en compte les aspects pratiques.
Le présent document spécifie des procédures de surveillance individuelle de l’exposition aux rayonnements de la peau du corps, des extrémités (peau des mains, doigts, poignets, avant-bras, y compris le coude, bas de la jambe, y compris la rotule, pieds et chevilles) et du cristallin dans les situations d’exposition planifiées. Il concerne les pratiques qui impliquent un risque d’exposition à des photons dont l’énergie est comprise entre 8 keV et 10 MeV, des électrons et positrons dont l’énergie est comprise entre 0,07 MeV et 1,2 MeV avec des énergies bêta moyennes équivalentes à 0,22 MeV et une énergie bêta maximale de 3,6 MeV, conformément à la série ISO 6980, et des neutrons dont l’énergie est comprise entre la valeur thermique et 20 MeV.
Le présent document fournit des recommandations pour la conception d’un programme de surveillance permettant de s’assurer du respect des limites légales de dose individuelle. Il se rapporte aux grandeurs dosimétriques opérationnelles appropriées et fournit des recommandations sur le type et la fréquence de surveillance individuelle ainsi que sur le type et l’emplacement du dosimètre. Il décrit enfin différentes méthodes permettant d’évaluer et d’analyser les doses à la peau, aux extrémités et au cristallin.
L’exposition due à des champs de rayonnements alpha ne relève pas du domaine d’application du présent document.
NOTE 1 Les exigences en matière de surveillance de l’exposition professionnelle peuvent être stipulées dans les réglementations nationales.
NOTE 2 La dose au cristallin due à l’absorption de tritium ne relève pas du domaine d’application du présent document. La situation des travailleurs qui interviennent dans une atmosphère contaminée et qui peuvent être exposés à une dose alpha et/ou de radon au cristallin ne relève pas non plus de son domaine d’application.
Radiološka zaščita - Postopki za nadzorovanje doze za očesne leče, kožo in okončine (ISO 15382:2025)
Ta dokument določa postopke za nadzorovanje doze za kožo, okončine in očesne leče. Podaja smernice za odločanje, ali so taki dozimetri potrebni, in zagotavlja, da je ob upoštevanju praktičnih vidikov in narave izpostavljenosti nadzorovanje posameznika primerno. Ta dokument določa postopke za nadzor izpostavljenosti kože telesa, okončin (koža rok, prstov, zapestij, podlakti, vključno s komolcem, spodnjega dela noge, vključno s kolensko pogačico, stopal in gležnjev) in očesnih leč posameznika v načrtovanih pogojih izpostavljenosti. Zajema prakse, ki vključujejo tveganje za izpostavljenost fotonom v razponu od 8 keV do 10 Mev, elektronom in pozitronom v razponu od 0,07 MeV do 1,2 MeV, pri čemer so povprečne beta energije enakovredne 0,22 MeV in 3,6 MeV največje beta energije – v skladu s skupino standardov ISO 6980, ter nevtronom v razponu od termičnih do 20 MeV. Ta dokument podaja smernice za načrtovanje nadzornega programa, da se zagotovi skladnost s pravnimi omejitvami glede doz za posameznika. Sklicuje se na ustrezne operativne količine doze in podaja smernice glede vrste in pogostosti nadzora posameznika ter vrste in postavitve dozimetra. Podani so tudi različni pristopi za ocenjevanje in analizo doz za kožo, okončine in očesne leče. Izpostavljenost poljem alfa sevanja ne spada na področje uporabe tega dokumenta. OPOMBA 1: Zahteve za nadzor poklicne izpostavljenosti so lahko podane v nacionalnih predpisih. OPOMBA 2: Doza za očesno lečo zaradi vnosa tritija ne spada na področje uporabe tega dokumenta. Poleg tega primer delavcev, ki so lahko med delom v onesnaženem območju izpostavljeni dozi alfa in/ali radonskega sevanja na očesno lečo, prav tako ne spada na področje uporabe.
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-november-2025
Radiološka zaščita - Postopki za nadzorovanje doze za očesne leče, kožo in
okončine (ISO 15382:2025)
Radiological protection - Procedures for monitoring the dose to the lens of the eye, the
skin and the extremities (ISO 15382:2025)
Strahlenschutz - Verfahren für die Überwachung der Dosis von Augenlinse, Haut und
Extremitäten (ISO 15382:2025)
Radioprotection - Procédures pour la surveillance des doses au cristallin, à la peau et
aux extrémités (ISO 15382:2025)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN ISO 15382:2025
ICS:
13.280 Varstvo pred sevanjem Radiation protection
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.
EN ISO 15382
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
September 2025
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 13.280 Supersedes EN ISO 15382:2017
English Version
Radiological protection - Procedures for monitoring the
dose to the lens of the eye, the skin and the extremities
(ISO 15382:2025)
Radioprotection - Procédures pour la surveillance des Strahlenschutz - Verfahren für die Überwachung der
doses au cristallin, à la peau et aux extrémités (ISO Dosis von Augenlinse, Haut und Extremitäten (ISO
15382:2025) 15382:2025)
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 22 August 2025.
CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.
CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN ISO 15382:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
European foreword
This document (EN ISO 15382:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 85 "Nuclear
energy, nuclear technologies, and radiological protection" in collaboration with Technical Committee
CEN/TC 430 “Nuclear energy, nuclear technologies, and radiological protection” the secretariat of
which is held by AFNOR.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by March 2026, and conflicting national standards shall
be withdrawn at the latest by March 2026.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN ISO 15382:2017.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards
body/national committee. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of
North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the
United Kingdom.
Endorsement notice
The text of ISO 15382:2025 has been approved by CEN as EN ISO 15382:2025 without any modification.
International
Standard
ISO 15382
Third edition
Radiological protection —
2025-08
Procedures for monitoring the dose
to the lens of the eye, the skin and
the extremities
Radioprotection — Procédures pour la surveillance des doses au
cristallin, à la peau et aux extrémités
Reference number
ISO 15382:2025(en) © ISO 2025
ISO 15382:2025(en)
© ISO 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
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Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
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Published in Switzerland
ii
ISO 15382:2025(en)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 2
4 Individual monitoring . 2
4.1 Quantities .2
4.2 Dose limits and monitoring levels .3
4.3 Monitoring period . .3
4.4 Extremity, skin and lens of the eye monitoring .4
4.5 Uncertainties .4
4.6 Characteristics of radiation fields .4
5 Assessment of dose levels prior to routine monitoring . 5
5.1 General .5
5.2 Indications from workplace measurements .5
5.3 Indications from whole body dosimetry .6
5.4 Indications from literature data .6
5.5 Indications from simulations.7
5.6 Indications from confirmatory measurements .7
6 Personal dosimetry . 7
6.1 Extremity and skin dosimetry .7
6.1.1 Locations to monitor.7
6.1.2 Types of dosemeters .8
6.1.3 Technical specifications of dosemeters .8
6.1.4 Application of correction factors .8
6.2 Monitoring of the lens of the eye .9
6.2.1 Locations to monitor.9
6.2.2 Types of dosemeters .10
6.2.3 Technical specifications of dosemeters .11
6.2.4 Application of correction factors .11
7 Interpretation and management of the results .12
7.1 Analyses of results . 12
7.2 Optimization . 12
7.3 Registration and documentation . 13
8 Special cases .13
8.1 Contamination . 13
8.1.1 General . 13
8.1.2 Estimation of dose to the skin or the lens of the eye from contamination . 13
8.1.3 Estimation of dose to the skin or to the eye lens from discrete particles .14
8.1.4 Estimation of dose to the skin or to the lens of the eye from contamination on
protective clothing .14
8.2 Estimation of dose from exposure to radioactivity in the air . 15
8.3 Need to correct estimated doses due to contamination of dosemeters . 15
Annex A (informative) Technical specifications of dosemeters .16
Annex B (informative) Monitoring the dose to the lens of the eye . 17
Annex C (informative) Special considerations in the medical sector .20
Annex D (informative) Special considerations in nuclear power plants and associated fuel cycle
facilities .21
Bibliography .30
iii
ISO 15382:2025(en)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 85, Nuclear energy, nuclear technologies, and
radiological protection, Subcommittee SC 2, Radiological protection, in collaboration with the European
Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 430, Nuclear energy, nuclear technologies,
and radiological protection, in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and
CEN (Vienna Agreement).
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 15382:2015), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— addition of neutron radiation;
— reference to up-to-date standards on reference radiation fields;
— clarification and extension of several procedures;
— extension of dosimetry procedures at nuclear power plants including indirect eye lens dosimetry.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
ISO 15382:2025(en)
Introduction
The human body shall be protected from harmful effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, internally and
externally. Effective dose limits keep the occurrence of stochastic effects to an “acceptable” level, while
protection from tissue reactions (i.e. deterministic effects) is provided by dose limits for specific organs.
The human skin shall be protected from external tissue reactions, such as erythema and ulceration. For
the lens of the eye, there is the risk of radiation induced cataract at elevated exposures. To protect the skin
of the whole body, the extremities, and the lens of the eye, separate dose limits are recommended by the
International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). These separate dose limits are needed because,
in case of localized exposures, the equivalent doses to the skin and the lens of the eye could exceed these
limits even if the effective doses were lower than the limit. Specific dosimetry is needed to monitor these
doses and to assess compliance with applicable limits.
There are some situations where the correct assessment of the exposure of the skin, extremities, and lens of
the eye can be challenging. In the nuclear sector, there can be exposure due to weakly penetrating radiation
caused by unshielded unsealed radioactive sources, or by working in glove boxes. These types of exposure
can occur, in particular in connection with contamination. Exposure to weakly penetrating radiation from
radioactive noble gases in room air also shall be considered. In the medical field, doses to extremities and
doses to the lens of the eye could occur during interventional procedures and in nuclear medicine.
Monitoring the extremities and the lens of the eye is not always straightforward, and many practical
problems can arise for the application of monitoring in the workplace, due to issues such as geometry,
resulting in an unsuitable monitoring situation. This document provides guidance on how and when this
monitoring should be done, for all the different types of workplace fields. This document is directed to all
who are involved in the dosimetry of the skin, extremities, and the lens of the eye; for example: radiation
protection officers, regulators, workers, dosimetry services, etc.
v
International Standard ISO 15382:2025(en)
Radiological protection — Procedures for monitoring the
dose to the lens of the eye, the skin and the extremities
1 Scope
This document provides procedures for monitoring the dose to the skin, the extremities, and the lens of
the eye. It gives guidance on how to decide if such dosemeters are needed and to ensure that individual
monitoring is appropriate to the nature of the exposure, taking practical considerations into account.
This document specifies procedures for individual monitoring of radiation exposure of the skin of the body,
extremities (skin of the hands, fingers, wrists, forearms including elbow, lower leg including patella, feet
and ankles), and lens of the eye in planned exposure situations. It covers practices which involve a risk of
exposure to photons in the range of 8 keV to 10 MeV, electrons and positrons in the range of 0,07 MeV to
1,2 MeV mean beta energies being equivalent to 0,22 MeV and 3,6 MeV beta maximum energy - in accordance
to the ISO 6980 series, and neutrons in the range of thermal to 20 MeV.
This document gives guidance for the design of a monitoring programme to ensure compliance with legal
individual dose limits. It refers to the appropriate operational dose quantities, and it gives guidance on the
type and frequency of individual monitoring and the type and positioning of the dosemeter. Finally, different
approaches to assess and analyse skin, extremity, and lens of the eye doses are given.
It is not in the scope of this document to consider exposure due to alpha radiation fields.
NOTE 1 The requirements for the monitoring of the occupational exposure may be given in national regulations.
NOTE 2 Dose to the lens of the eye due to intake of tritium is not in the scope of this document. Moreover, the
situation of the workers that work in contaminated atmosphere and can have alpha and/or radon eye lens dose is also
not in the scope.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/TS 18090-1, Radiological protection — Characteristics of reference pulsed radiation — Part 1: Photon
radiation
IEC 62387, Radiation protection instrumentation — Dosimetry systems with integrating passive detectors for
individual, workplace and environmental monitoring of photon and beta radiation
IEC 60846-1, Radiation protection instrumentation — Ambient and/or directional dose equivalent (rate) meters
and/or monitors for beta, X and gamma radiation — Part 1: Portable workplace and environmental meters and
monitors
IEC 61526, Radiation protection instrumentation - Measurement of personal dose equivalents for X, gamma,
neutron and beta radiations - Active personal dosemeters
ISO 14146, Radiological protection — Criteria and performance limits for the periodic evaluation of dosimetry
services for external radiation
IEC 61331-3, Protective devices against diagnostic medical X-radiation — Part 3: Protective clothing, eyewear
and protective patient shields
ISO 15382:2025(en)
ISO 4037-1, Radiological protection — X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy — Part 1: Radiation characteristics
and production methods
ISO 4037-2, Radiological protection — X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and
doserate meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy — Part 2: Dosimetry for
radiation protection over the energy ranges from 8 keV to 1,3 MeV and 4 MeV to 9 MeV
ISO 4037-3, Radiological protection — X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and
doserate meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy — Part 3: Calibration of area
and personal dosemeters and the measurement of their response as a function of energy and angle of incidence
ISO 4037-4, Radiological protection — X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and
doserate meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy — Part 4: Calibration of area
and personal dosemeters in low energy X reference radiation fields
ISO 6980-1, Nuclear energy — Reference beta-particle radiation — Part 1: Methods of production
ISO 6980-2, Nuclear energy — Reference beta-particle radiation — Part 2: Calibration fundamentals related to
basic quantities characterizing the radiation field
ISO 6980-3, Nuclear energy — Reference beta-particle radiation — Part 3: Calibration of area and personal
dosemeters and the determination of their response as a function of beta radiation energy and angle of incidence
ISO 8529-1, Neutron reference radiations fields — Part 1: Characteristics and methods of production
ISO 8529-2, Reference neutron radiations — Part 2: Calibration fundamentals of radiation protection devices
related to the basic quantities characterizing the radiation field
ISO 8529-3, Neutron reference radiation fields — Part 3: Calibration of area and personal dosemeters and
determination of their response as a function of neutron energy and angle of incidence
IEC 61005, Radiation protection instrumentation — Neutron ambient dose equivalent (rate) meters
ISO 21909-1, Passive neutron dosimetry systems — Part 1: Performance and test requirements for personal
dosimetry
ISO 21909-2, Passive neutron dosimetry systems — Part 2: Methodology and criteria for the qualification of
personal dosimetry systems in workplaces
3 Terms and definitions
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
4 Individual monitoring
4.1 Quantities
Skin and extremities monitoring involves the measurement of H (0,07), the estimator of the equivalent dose
p
to the skin.
Based on the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) definitions, lens of
the eye monitoring involves the measurement of H (3), the estimator of the equivalent dose to the lens of
p
the eye. If the radiation field is well known, H (3) can be estimated by the use of dosemeters type tested
p
and calibrated in terms of other quantities, i.e., H (0,07) and H (10) (this latest being the estimator of the
p p
ISO 15382:2025(en)
personal dose equivalent), as in many cases they can provide an adequate estimate of the dose to the lens
of the eye. Technical specifications of dosemeters are provided in Annex A. Guidance on which type of
dosemeter can be used for the lens of the eye is provided in Annex B.
4.2 Dose limits and monitoring levels
The dose limits for skin, extremities, and lens of the eye for planned exposure situations are given in national
regulations.
[1] [2]
ICRP has given more recent recommendations on the dose limits (ICRP 103 and ICRP 118 ) to avoid
tissue reactions. Requirements equivalent to these recommendations are given by the International Atomic
[3]
Energy Agency (IAEA) in the General Safety Requirements . These recommendations from ICRP and IAEA
constitute the basis for the recommendations in this document.
The ICRP recommends the following dose limits:
a) an equivalent dose limit for the skin of any extremity or whole body skin of 500 mSv in a year. The
equivalent dose limits for the skin apply to the average dose over 1 cm of the most highly irradiated
area of the skin. In practice, an estimate of equivalent dose to the skin is a conservative estimate of
equivalent dose to the extremities;
b) an equivalent dose limit for the lens of the eye of 20 mSv per year averaged over 5 consecutive years
(100 mSv in 5 years) and of 50 mSv in any single year.
Individual monitoring is required to verify compliance with dose limits described in the national regulations.
Monitoring of the extremities, skin, and lens of the eye should be undertaken for workers who have a
reasonable probability of receiving per year an equivalent dose higher than 3/10th of one of the above-
[4][5][6]
mentioned yearly limits .
The following monitoring levels are recommended:
a) for the extremities or the skin, monitoring should be undertaken if there is a reasonable probability to
receive a dose greater than 150 mSv per year;
b) for the lens of the eye, monitoring should be undertaken if there is a reasonable probability to receive a dose
in a single year greater than 15 mSv or in average over 5 consecutive years greater than 6 mSv per year.
NOTE National regulations can require monitoring levels different from the ones recommended in this subclause.
For dose levels expected to be lower than the recommended monitoring levels given above, a survey
demonstrating that the levels are not exceeded should be sufficient.
The expected annual dose can be estimated via one or more of the methods given in Clause 5.
4.3 Monitoring period
The choice of the length of the monitoring period is related to the levels of the expected doses and to the
relevant dose limit.
For doses above the monitoring level, a monitoring period of one month is recommended. For workers whose
doses are likely to stay below the monitoring level, monitoring can be adapted. The monitoring period in the
latter case can be longer, e.g. three months. Shorter monitoring periods can be chosen (weekly monitoring
or even monitoring per procedure), when setting up new procedures, when optimizing working conditions
or when there is a risk of potential high exposure.
Regulatory bodies and/or expert committees also can provide appropriate recommendations for monitoring
periods.
ISO 15382:2025(en)
4.4 Extremity, skin and lens of the eye monitoring
The dose to the extremities, skin, and the lens of the eye needs to be monitored in situations with non-
homogeneous exposure conditions for which the whole-body monitoring does not provide an adequate
estimate of the dose to the skin, the dose to the extremities, or the dose to the lens of the eye. Exposures
can be significant when weakly penetrating radiation such as low energy photons e.g., below 15 keV, or beta
radiation is present.
Hand or finger monitoring shall be considered for workplaces where extremities are particularly close
to the radiation emitter or radiation beam, such as situations where radioactive sources are handled in,
for example, research, nuclear medicine, and dismantling applications. Other important example where
extremity monitoring can be necessary is nuclear medicine workplaces. Skin monitoring shall be considered
for workplaces where skin is close to the radiation emitter or the beam. Also when there is a risk for skin
contamination, monitoring should be considered. Examples of such situations are handling of contaminated
components or unsealed radioactive sources.
Monitoring of the lens of the eye shall be specifically considered for workplaces where the eyes are
particularly close to the radiation emitter (which can also be a source of scattered radiation) or the radiation
beam (for example in interventional radiology, where monitoring the lens of the eye is necessary due to
scattered radiation of the collimator) while the rest of the body can be protected by, e.g. a lead apron.
Workers exposed in high energy beta fields can receive significant doses to the lens of the eye.
4.5 Uncertainties
An essential aspect of quality assurance (QA) in individual monitoring is assessing the quality of the
measurement results. In the evaluation of the uncertainty, all knowledge of the dosemeter and evaluating
system should be used, possibly in combination with information from the client/customer such as local
exposure and storage conditions. The amount of effort put into the uncertainty should be realistic in view of
its purpose in radiation protection.
International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) also makes recommendations
[7]
on the acceptable levels for total uncertainty in Report 47 which are broadly consistent with the ICRP
[8]
recommendation in ICRP 75 . ICRU recommends for single measurements of the operational quantities
that “. in most cases, an overall uncertainty of one standard deviation of 30 % should be acceptable.”
The expanded uncertainty (95 % coverage probability) for values of assessed annual dose values at or near
the dose limit should be such that the dosemeter’s response does not exceed 0,71 to 1,67-for photon radiation
and high-energy beta radiation (E̅ > 0,2 MeV) and for neutron radiation for the quantity H*(10) and it
beta
should not exceed 0,5 to 2,0 for low-energy beta radiation (E̅ ≤ 0,2 MeV) and for neutron radiation for
beta
the quantity H (10) after all corrections have been made (see ISO 14146). This applies to values of effective
p
dose, equivalent dose to a small area of skin, equivalent dose to lens of the eye or extremities, summed for
all radiation types of the radiation field. For annual dose values significantly below the dose limit larger
uncertainties are inevitable. Thus, the dosemeter’s response should be within 0,3 to 2,3 (see ISO 14146).
For neutron radiations, the expanded uncertainty (95 % coverage probability) for values of assessed annual
dose values at or near the dose limit should not exceed 0,5 to 2 (factor 2) after all corrections have been
[8]
made ICRP 75 .
It shall be recognized that different requirements on accuracy may be needed for an estimate of the
equivalent dose at another part of the body than the position of the dosemeter, for example an estimate of
[9]
the equivalent dose to the fingertips from a measurement of H (0,07) several centimetres away .
p
4.6 Characteristics of radiation fields
Characterization of the radiation fields is a challenging step to determine the need for and the type of
monitoring required.
Photon fields (X and gamma radiation) of any energy can interact and be deposited to the extremity tissues,
i.e., skin and lens of the eye.
ISO 15382:2025(en)
Electrons (beta radiation) with energy above 60 keV penetrate 0,07 mm of tissue and can, therefore,
contribute to the skin dose. Electrons (beta radiation) with energy above 700 keV penetrate 3 mm of tissue
and can, therefore, contribute to the dose to the lens of the eye.
In medical fields, the type of radiation and radionuclides are very well known. Whole body exposures are
mostly limited due to appropriate protective means, e.g. the use of aprons by physicians during interventional
procedures or appropriate shielding in the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals in nuclear medicine and
radio pharmacy, but doses to the extremities and to the lens of the eye can be high.
In nuclear installations, low energy betas are to be expected in the vicinity of unsealed radioactive materials,
for example, on contaminated inner surfaces of power plant components, on system components or tools,
open boilers or steam generators (during outages) and in contaminated areas. High values of the directional
dose equivalent rate can be produced by beta radiation. In nuclear installations handling spent fuel as well
as in nuclear reactors experiencing fuel leakage, high energy betas (above 700 keV) should be expected.
These are more readily monitored than the low energy betas.
The components on which contamination can occur are, as a rule, known from operational experience. If a
high gamma ambient dose equivalent rate is measured on closed components (e.g. pumps, steam generators),
a high percentage of low energy betas must be expected when the component is opened. Information about
the energy of beta radiation is obtained from the radionuclide composition, spectrometry, or the attenuation
of the radiation. Attenuation measurements can be used to characterize the radiation field by estimation of
the penetration ability as well as the maximum energy of beta radiation.
For workplaces with uniform neutron field, it is acceptable to monitor the extremity and lens of the eye dose
using the whole body dosemeter. However, in some specific situations the whole body dosemeter cannot
be used to monitor the extremity or lens of the eye dose. Such situation may be encountered when specific
[9]
shielding for neutrons are used, and partially cover the worker body e.g. working around glove boxes .
Moreover, the contribution of neutrons to eye-lens dose will be important where it contributes a significant
fraction of the total dose to the lens of the eye. It should be noted that neutron fields at workplaces, in the
nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear power generation environments as well as in areas near medical accelerators
[10][11]
span energies from thermal (0,025 eV) to 20 MeV .
5 Assessment of dose levels prior to routine monitoring
5.1 General
Prior to routine monitoring, it is important to assess the dose levels to the skin, the extremities, or the lens of
the eye in a workplace field situation to decide which method, if any, and which period of routine monitoring
are necessary.
The doses obtained by one or more of the following methods (see 5.2 to 5.6) should be extrapolated to annual
doses and compared with the monitoring levels given in 4.2.
The assessment should be repeated when the working conditions or workload change significantly, or if the
effect of such changes on doses to the skin, the extremity, or the lens of the eye cannot be estimated with
confidence.
5.2 Indications from workplace measurements
In work situations with radiation fields that are predictable for a specific work task or over a long period
(at least for several months) and with well established procedures, it can be possible to estimate the doses
which workers will receive using workplace monitoring at relevant locations.
Workplace surveys are recommended (for example measuring the dose equivalent rates) before starting
to work on contaminated or activated objects in the nuclear sector, unless it is known from radionuclide
analysis, or from earlier measurements, that the working conditions (e.g. distance to the source) and the
protective equipment is sufficient to attenuate and/or shield this type of radiation.
ISO 15382:2025(en)
For determining the directional dose equivalent rate Ḣ'(0,07) or Ḣ'(3), suitable dose equivalent rate meters
(i.e. with thin walls and small detector thickness) shall be used. The maximum direction dose equivalent
is obtained by rotating the dose rate meter during the measurement and looking for maximum reading.
Dosemeters measuring H'(0,07) or H'(3) positioned according to different incidence shall integrate enough
dose to estimate properly the direction dose equivalent to find the maximum value directional dose
equivalent rate Ḣ'(0,07, Ω) or Ḣ'(3, Ω).
If protective clothing is worn, H'(0,07) shall be measured behind the respective layer of clothing, unless the
protective clothing is not large enough to protect the whole part of the body that is monitored. If it cannot be
ensured that the protective clothing is large enough, then H'(0,07) shall be measured above the respective
layer of clothing.
The measurement position shall be representative of the exposure conditions of the person surveyed.
Also, the distance that low energy photons and betas travel in air is important. If it cannot be avoided that
contaminated objects are touched with the hands, measurements shall be performed both near the surface
(at closest position) and at the usual working distance of the trunk (approximately 30 cm). If tools are used,
measurements shall be performed at the distance appropriate for the use of such tools.
On the basis of the measured dose equivalent rates Ḣ'(0,07), Ḣ'(3), and Ḣ*(10), and the time the person is
present in the radiation field, it can be evaluated whether the work to be carried out requires wearing a
personal dosemeter and/or additional protective measures.
The technical specifications for area dosemeters measuring the quantities H'(0,07), H'(3) and/or H*(10)
shall be as defined in IEC 62387 for passive photon and/or beta dosemeters, IEC 60846-1 for active photon
and/or beta dosemeters and IEC 61005 for active neutron dosemeters.
5.3 Indications from whole body dosimetry
When individual monitoring is performed, a dosemeter worn on the trunk is used for the estimation of
effective dose. The results from the whole body dosemeter can give an indication of the level of exposure
to the extremities, the skin, or the lens of the eye, provided the exposure conditions and the radiation field
characteristics (especially the spatial distribution) are considered.
The approach of using a single dosemeter worn at the collar of the protective apron potentially provides
an option for informing the radiation protection practice. Such a system can provide indications of when
dedicated eye dosimetry is required.
When the whole body dosemeter is worn under the protective clothing, its reading strongly underestimates
the dose to the unprotected extremities and the lens of the eye and can therefore not be used to provide an
indication of the level of these doses.
NOTE Likewise, when protective equipment is not worn correctly, the dosemeter under the protective equipment
strongly underestimates the doses to the poorly protected or unprotected parts of the body.
The technical specifications for personal dosemeters measuring the quantities H (0,07), H (3) and/or H (10)
p p p
shall be as defined in IEC 62387 for passive photon and/or beta dosemeters, IEC 61526 for active photon/
beta and/or neutron dosemeters and ISO 21909-1 and ISO 21909-2 for passive neutron dosemeters.
5.4 Indications from literature data
Typical dose values for various workplace situations can be found in the literature (see references in Annex C
for medical applications). These can in principle be used to judge if monitoring is needed. When using
literature values, it shall be ensured that the data are representative of the current workplace conditions
regarding the radiation source (for example, which radionuclides or which high voltage of X-ray tubes is
used), the geometry (for example, under or over couch setting in radiology) and types of protective measures
(like shielding) that are used.
ISO 15382:2025(en)
5.5 Indications from simulations
Numerical simulations can be very efficient tools and can provide important information on the parameters
[12]
affecting and inf
...
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