Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development
Radiation protection: ENEA ionizing radiation laboratory obtains international certification
ENEA has received formal recognition of the quality and reliability of its Secondary Calibration Laboratory for Ionizing Radiation (LAT) with Accredia certification for the provision of accurate and reliable dosimetry measurements. This accreditation certifies the competence and impartiality of ENEA-LAT in performing gamma radiation measurements and will contribute to protecting workers' health and the safety of environments with ionizing radiation.
The LAT Laboratory, part of the ENEA Radiation Protection Institute based in Bologna, calibrates instruments used for radiation protection (e.g., Geiger-Muller counters and personal and environmental dosimeters), providing services to those working in the ionizing radiation sector (plant managers, researchers, and technicians) and in the monitoring of environments, plants, and equipment.
“The accreditation complies with the highest international standards UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 and was obtained at the end of a complex process involving technical design, document review, evaluation tests, audits, and organizational adjustments, as well as specifically structured staff training courses,” said Elena Fantuzzi, head of the ENEA Institute of Radiation Protection. “This result confirms our role as a national reference center for both the calibration of ionizing radiation detection instruments and devices and for testing materials,” she added.
Now, as a result of the EA[1] and ILAC-MRA[2], agreements, the calibration certificates issued by LAT are also recognized abroad, without the need for further verification, allowing the laboratory to operate according to the standards of leading European and international laboratories.
In the future, the technical and organizational model developed for LAT will be gradually extended to other measurement and dosimetry activities carried out by the Institute of Radiation Protection, with a direct impact on the quality of services offered by ENEA.