ABSTRACT
In the most general context, monitoring programs acquire data and information to assess exposures to radiation. The assessments may be performed by regulators, health professionals, and individuals — each with their own perspective. Many decisions and actions regarding radiological health depend on the information; and, if the data is acquired by different monitoring methods, special judgments may be warranted to identify the data most appropriate on which to base a response. The impact of acting on inaccurate or incomplete information can be tragic. Poor monitoring programs may fail to identify conditions adversely affecting the safety and well-being of workers, the public, and facilitites. Limited resources may be expended inefficiently and inappropriately. In addition, funds and management focus may be diverted from more critical activities. Lack of credible monitoring data may stimulate more insidious conditions such as worker-management distrust, community-company conflict, or intradepartmental disputes within the radiation protection organization. It is unlikely that a major health physics operation will be successful without well-defined and well-managed monitoring activities.
