10.13.9 Record Retention
Retention periods should follow applicable legislation, regulatory obligations, employment and privacy requirements, organizational policy, and the continuing operational value of the record.
RPS S-1 specifically expects records of RF-source assessments and mitigation steps to be kept, and occupational-exposure information in personnel files to be retained during and after employment as required by law. No single retention period is appropriate for every record or jurisdiction.
Long-lived records may include baseline and change assessments, engineering drawings, source configurations, exposure histories, incidents, and decisions whose basis may be needed later in the life of the installation.
10.13.10 Audits And Reviews
Audits and reviews should confirm that:
- required records exist, are complete, legible, protected, and retrievable;
- current documents match the installation, source states, work, and applicable requirements;
- scheduled and event-based reviews have been completed;
- actions have owners, due dates, completion evidence, and effectiveness checks; and
- obsolete information cannot be mistaken for the current approved basis.
Record review should be integrated with site inspection, worker consultation, management of change, incident learning, and review of the RF safety program and applicable Plans.
10.13.11 Summary
Controlled records provide the evidence and current information needed to operate an RF safety program and its RF Radiation Safety Plans. Exposure assessments must preserve the source states, methods, uncertainty, and context needed to understand and reproduce the conclusion. Risk, equipment, calibration, training, maintenance, and incident records link technical decisions to their implementation. Document control prevents obsolete information from being used, while a legally and operationally justified retention schedule preserves the history needed for workers, future changes, audits, and incident investigation.