Improving measurement understanding and best practice .

For many years the National Physical Laboratory ( NPL ) has been creating and publishing a range of good practice guides covering a wide variety of measurement disciplines and practices – from the Measurement of Bending in Uniaxial Low Cycle Fatigue Testing ( GPG1 ) to the Care and Use of Gauge Blocks ( GPG149 ) and everything in between . All of these good practice guides are publicly available and can be found at the NPL resource library .

‘ Our good practice guides are a practical and informative series of documents designed to meet the needs of industry . They are a userfriendly way to find out about what to measure , how to measure it and how to understand the results . Based on NPL ' s expertise and experience , our guides will enable you , your customers and your suppliers to be in agreement on measurement issues .’

Over the last few years , SRP has been working alongside NPL to co-host the Ionising Radiation Metrology Forum ( IRMF ) events where the five Good Practice Guides relating to radiation protection and metrology are subject to regular discussions ( sometimes scrutiny !). This close working arrangement has provided a great opportunity to combine resources and widen the reach of expertise to contribute to the five Guides . So , after an initial approach by NPL to the IRMF , where SRP was asked if it could support the care and maintenance of these guides and , after a 12 month consultation period , agreement was reached with NPL in 2019 .

At this point , SRP took over responsibility for the care and maintenance of these five guides .

SRP ’ s Metrology and Measurement Science Committee ( within the Society ’ s Science and Technology Directorate ) now has custody of , and responsibility for , the Guides . Even getting to this stage and agreeing the legalities has been a serious achievement ; hats off to the team who have worked so hard on this – and now the GPG work really begins ...

There are five Measurement Good Practice Guides ( GPGs ) which have recently come under the care and maintenance of SRP as they are relevant to Radiation Protection and Metrology . These are definitely the five “ go to ” documents with regard to radiation metrology and practical radiation monitoring and are an invaluable resource for radiation protection professionals , the wider nuclear industry and manufacturers alike , as well as an especially useful resource for those starting out in their career as a radiation protection professional .

24 Radiation Protection Today www . srp-rpt . uk