10.13 DOCUMENTATION AND RECORD KEEPING
An effective RF safety program depends on controlled records that show what was assessed, what decisions were made, which controls and Plans apply, and whether those arrangements remain effective. Records must be accurate, current, understandable, and available to the people who need them.
Documentation supports safe operation and maintenance, management of change, training, authorization, audits, regulatory compliance, incident investigation, and later reassessment. It also preserves the conditions and assumptions on which a compliance or work decision depended.
RPS S-1 states that records should be kept of RF-source assessments and the steps taken to mitigate fields. It also expects personnel files to identify workers who are occupationally exposed and to be retained as required by law.
10.13.1 Exposure Assessment Records
An exposure-assessment record should contain enough information for another competent assessor to understand the work, evaluate the conclusion, and make a meaningful comparison with a later assessment.
As applicable, it should record:
- the purpose, scope, client or duty holder, assessor, date, and exposure categories;
- the RF sources, ownership, operating states, frequencies, powers, duty cycles, and environment;
- the assessment method, measurement settings, computational software and version, and validation;
- measurement locations, field region, averaging, simultaneous-source treatment, and other context;
- the equipment used, serial numbers, calibration status, functional checks, and environmental conditions;
- results, corrections, uncertainty, and comparison with the applicable limits; and
- assumptions, limitations, access conditions, controls, conclusions, approval, and review triggers.
AS/NZS 2772.2 requires sufficient reporting for another assessor to perform a similar assessment and compare results while taking uncertainty into account. The report should therefore preserve the source state and other circumstances that can significantly affect the evaluated exposure.
These records provide the technical basis for exposure-limit compliance, Controlled Areas, site-defined exclusion zones, engineering controls, access arrangements, and safe work.