IEC 62533:2010

IEC 62533 ®
Edition 1.0 2010-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Radiation protection instrumentation – Highly sensitive hand-held instruments
for photon detection of radioactive material

Instrumentation pour la radioprotection – Instruments portables de haute
sensibilité pour la détection photonique de matières radioactives

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IEC 62533 ®
Edition 1.0 2010-06
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Radiation protection instrumentation – Highly sensitive hand-held instruments
for photon detection of radioactive material

Instrumentation pour la radioprotection – Instruments portables de haute
sensibilité pour la détection photonique de matières radioactives

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
U
CODE PRIX
ICS 13.280 ISBN 978-2-88912-003-1
– 2 – 62533 © IEC:2010
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.4
1 Scope and object.6
2 Normative references .6
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviations, quantities and units .7
3.1 Terms and definitions .7
3.2 Abbreviations .10
3.3 Quantities and units .10
4 General requirements .11
4.1 General characteristics.11
4.2 Physical configuration .11
4.3 Basic information.11
4.4 Communication interface .11
4.5 User interface.11
4.6 Warm-up time.12
4.7 Markings .12
4.8 Power supply.12
4.9 Protection of controls .13
4.10 Photon ambient dose equivalent rate indication.13
4.11 Alarms.13
4.12 Effective range of measurement .13
4.13 Angular dependence .13
4.14 Explosive atmospheres .13
4.15 Indication features.13
5 General test procedure.14
5.1 Nature of test .14
5.2 Reference conditions and standard test conditions .14
5.3 Reference gamma radiation background.14
5.4 Statistical fluctuations .15
6 Radiation tests .15
6.1 Rate of false alarms (source indication).15
6.2 Source alarm and response time .15
6.3 Personal protection alarm and response time .16
6.4 Ambient dose equivalent rate indication .16
6.5 Over range characteristics for ambient dose equivalent rate indication.16
7 Additional functions .17
7.1 General .17
7.2 Rejecting natural background variation encountered when used in movement .17
7.3 Source categorization.17
8 Environmental, mechanical and electrical performance requirements .18
8.1 Temperature tests .18
8.2 Humidity tests .19
8.3 Dust and moisture resistance tests.19
8.4 Mechanical tests .20
8.5 Impact (microphonics) tests.21
8.6 Electrical tests.22
8.7 Radiated emissions .23

62533 © IEC:2010 – 3 –
8.8 Conducted disturbances .24
8.9 Magnetic fields .24
9 Documentation .25
9.1 General .25
9.2 Type test report.25
9.3 Certificate .25
9.4 Operation and maintenance manual .25
Bibliography.26

Table 1 – Reference conditions and standard test conditions .14
Table 2 – Radiated RF emission limits .24

– 4 – 62533 © IEC:2010
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
RADIATION PROTECTION INSTRUMENTATION –
HIGHLY SENSITIVE HAND-HELD INSTRUMENTS
FOR PHOTON DETECTION OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
in the subject dealt with may participate in this preparatory work. International, governmental and non-
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with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
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4) In order to promote international uniformity, IEC National Committees undertake to apply IEC Publications
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5) IEC itself does not provide any attestation of conformity. Independent certification bodies provide conformity
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services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
7) No liability shall attach to IEC or its directors, employees, servants or agents including individual experts and
members of its technical committees and IEC National Committees for any personal injury, property damage or
other damage of any nature whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, or for costs (including legal fees) and
expenses arising out of the publication, use of, or reliance upon, this IEC Publication or any other IEC
Publications.
8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 62533 has been prepared by subcommittee 45B: Radiation
protection instrumentation, of IEC technical committee 45: Nuclear instrumentation.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
45B/640/FDIS 45B/654/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

62533 © IEC:2010 – 5 –
The committee has decided that the contents of this amendment and the base publication will
remain unchanged until the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under
"http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the
publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
– 6 – 62533 © IEC:2010
RADIATION PROTECTION INSTRUMENTATION –
HIGHLY SENSITIVE HAND-HELD INSTRUMENTS
FOR PHOTON DETECTION OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

1 Scope and object
This International Standard applies to hand-held instruments used for the detection and
localization of radioactive photon emitting materials. These instruments are highly sensitive
meaning that they are designed to detect slight variations in the range of usual photon
background caused mainly by illicit trafficking or inadvertent movement of radioactive
material. Compared to pocket devices (see IEC 62401), this highly sensitive instrument allows
the scanning of larger volume items such as vehicles or containers. They may also be used in
fixed or temporarily fixed unattended mode to monitor check points or critical areas.
These instruments also provide an indication of the ambient dose equivalent rate from photon
radiation. However, this standard does not apply to the performance of radiation protection
instrumentation which is covered in IEC 60846-1 and IEC 61526.
These instruments may provide additional functions as described below without including all
features of specialized portable identification devices as defined by IEC 62327:
• rejecting natural background variation encountered when used in movement;
• sorting alarms of interest from naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) or medical
radionuclides originated alarms;
• provide source categorization data (including limited photon spectra) to a remote location.
The object of this standard is to establish performance requirements including physical
characteristics, general test conditions, radiation characteristics, electrical safety, and
environmental conditions. This standard provides examples of acceptable test methods to
determine if an instrument meets the requirements of this standard. The results of tests
performed provide information to users on the capability of radiation detection instruments for
reliably detecting photon sources.
Obtaining operating performance that meets or exceeds the specifications as stated in this
standard depends upon properly establishing appropriate operating parameters, maintaining
calibration, implementing a suitable response testing and maintenance program, providing
proper training for operating personnel and developing operating procedures that address the
instrument limitations and capabilities.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.
For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition
of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
IEC 60050-393:2003, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) – Part 393: Nuclear
instrumentation – Physical phenomena and basic concepts
IEC 60050-394:2007, International Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) – Part 394: Nuclear
Instrumentation – Instruments, systems, equipment and detectors
IEC 60068-2-75:1997, Environmental testing – Part 2-75: Tests – Test Eh: Hammer tests

62533 © IEC:2010 – 7 –
IEC 60529:1989, Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code)
IEC 61000-4-2:2008, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4: Testing and measurement
techniques – Section 2: Electrostatic discharge immunity test. Basic EMC Publication
IEC 61000-4-3:2006, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-3: Testing and
measurement techniques – Radiated, radio-frequency, electromagnetic field immunity test
IEC 61000-4-6:2008, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) – Part 4-6: Testing and
measurement techniques – Immunity to conducted disturbances induced by radio-frequency
fields
ISO 4037-1:1996, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 1: Radiation
characteristics and production methods
ISO 4037-2:1997, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 2: Dosimetry
for radiation protection over the energy ranges from 8 keV to 1,3 MeV and 4 MeV to 9 MeV
ISO 4037-3:1999, X and gamma reference radiation for calibrating dosemeters and doserate
meters and for determining their response as a function of photon energy – Part 3: Calibration
of area and personal dosemeters and the measurement of their response as a function of
energy and angle of incidence
International Bureau of Weights and Measures: The international System of Units (SI), 8th
edition, 2006
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviations, quantities and units
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions, as well as those given
in IEC 60050-393 and IEC 60050-394 apply.
3.1.1
A-weighted sound level
the frequency weighting of an acoustic spectrum according to a standardized frequency
response curve based on the frequency response of the human ear
3.1.2
alarm
an audible, visual, or other signal activated when the instrument reading exceeds a preset
value or falls outside of a preset range
[IEV 393-18-03, modified]
3.1.3
ambient dose equivalent, Hx(10)
dose equivalent at a point in a radiation field, produced by the corresponding aligned and
expanded field, in the ICRU sphere at a depth of 10 mm, on the radius opposing the direction
of the aligned field
[ICRU Report 39]
NOTE 1 In defining these quantities, it is useful to stipulate certain radiation fields that are derived from the
actual radiation field. The terms "expanded" and "aligned" are used to characterise these derived radiation fields.
In the expanded field, the fluence and its angular and energy distribution have the same values throughout the

– 8 – 62533 © IEC:2010
volume of interest as in the actual field at the point of reference. In the aligned and expanded field, the fluence and
its energy distribution are the same as in the expanded field but the fluence is unidirectional.
NOTE 2 The ICRU sphere (see ICRU Report 33) is a 30 cm diameter, tissue-equivalent sphere with a density of
1 g/cm and a mass composition of tissue equivalent material (see IEV 393-14-78).
NOTE 3 The recommended depth d, for environmental monitoring in terms of Hx(d) is 10 mm, and Hx(d) may then
be written as Hx(10).
NOTE 4 An instrument that has an isotropic response and is calibrated in terms of Hx(d) will measure Hx(d) in
radiation fields that are uniform over the dimensions of the instrument.
NOTE 5 The definition of Hx(d) requires the design of the instrument to take account of backscatter.
[IEV 393-14-95]
3.1.4
&
ambient dose equivalent rate, Hx()10
the quotient of the ambient dose equivalent at the recommended depth for environmental
monitoring of 10 mm dHx(10) by dt, where dHx(10) is the increment of ambient dose equivalent
in the time interval dt
dHx()10
&
Hx()10 =
dt
3.1.5
background level
radiation field in which the instrument is intended to operate, including background produced
by naturally occurring radioactive material
3.1.6
conventionally true value of a quantity
value attributed to a particular quantity and accepted, sometimes by convention, as having an
uncertainty appropriate for a given purpose
NOTE 1 "Conventionally true value of a quantity" is sometimes called assigned value, best estimate of the value,
conventional value or reference value.
NOTE 2 A conventionally true value is, in general, regarded as sufficiently close to the true value for the
difference to be insignificant for the given purpose. For example, a value determined from a primary or secondary
standard or by a reference instrument, may be taken as the conventionally true value.
[IEV 394-40-10, modified]
3.1.7
effective range of measurement
absolute value of the difference between the two limits of a nominal range
NOTE In some fields of knowledge, the difference between the greatest and smallest values is called range.
[IEV 394-40-16]
3.1.8
false alarm
alarm not caused by an increase in radiation level over background conditions
3.1.9
functionality test
test performed to verify that alarm activation and radiation detection are acceptable
3.1.10
influence quantity
quantity that may have a bearing on the result of a measurement without being the subject of
the measurement
62533 © IEC:2010 – 9 –
3.1.11
manufacturer
includes the designer of the equipment
3.1.12
point of measurement
place at which the conventionally true values are determined and at which the reference point
of the instrument is placed for test purposes
3.1.13
purchaser
includes the user of the equipment
3.1.14
radioactive material
in this standard, radioactive material includes special nuclear material, unless otherwise
specifically noted
3.1.15
readout
displayed value, with units, displayed and/or recorded by the instrument as a result of the
instrument’s response to some influence quantity
3.1.16
reference point of an instrument
mark on the equipment that represents the position of the instrument for the purpose of
calibration and testing
NOTE The point from which the distance to the source is measured.
[IEV 394-40-15, modified]
3.1.17
relative error, ε (%)
REL
error of measurement divided by a true value of the measurand
NOTE Since a true value cannot be determined, in practice a conventionally true value is used.
[IEV 394-40-11]
3.1.18
response, R
ratio of the instrument reading to the conventionally true value of the measured quantity
3.1.19
restricted (or expert) mode
advanced operating mode used by an expert user to access and control the parameters that
can affect the result of a measurement (for example alarm thresholds). Access to this mode
should be limited through password protection or other similar methods.
NOTE This mode may also be called “advanced” or “protected” mode.
3.1.20
standard deviation
the positive square root of the variance
3.1.21
type test
conformity test made on one or more items representative of the production

– 10 – 62533 © IEC:2010
[IEV 394-40-02]
3.1.22
routine test
conformity test made on each individual item during or after manufacture
[IEV 394-40-03]
3.1.23
acceptance test
contractual test to prove to the customer that the device fulfils certain specifications
[IEV 394-40-05]
3.1.24
variance, σ
a measure of dispersion, which is the sum of the squared deviation of observations x from their
i
mean x divided by one less than the number of observations n
n
2 2
σ = (x x)
∑
i
n – 1
i=1
3.2 Abbreviations
3.2.1
HEU
highly enriched uranium
3.2.2
NORM
naturally occurring radioactive material
3.2.3
RF
radio frequency
3.2.4
WGPu
weapons grade plutonium
3.3 Quantities and units
In the present standard, units of the International System (SI) are used . The definitions of
radiation quantities are given in IEC 60050-393, IEC 60050-394. The corresponding old units
(non SI) are indicated in brackets.
Nevertheless, the following units may also be used:
–19
• for energy: electron-volt (symbol: eV), 1 eV = 1,602 × 10 J;
• for time: years (symbol: y), days (symbol: d), hours (symbol: h), minutes (symbol: min).
Multiples and submultiples of SI units will be used, when practicable, according to the SI
system.
—————————
International Bureau of Weights and Measures: The international System of Units (SI), 8th edition, 2006.

62533 © IEC:2010 – 11 –
4 General requirements
4.1 General characteristics
Instruments addressed by this standard are used for the detection of photon emitting
radioactive materials. These instruments are hand-held and battery-powered. They have a
significantly higher sensitivity than pocket-sized devices which allows them to be used for
searching larger volume items, such as vehicles, and containers.
4.2 Physical configuration
The instrument case design shall meet the requirements stated for IP code 53 (see
IEC 60529), which means that the instrument shall be protected from the ingress of dust and
spraying water. For IP53, the ingress of dust is not totally prevented, but dust shall not
penetrate the instrument case in such a quantity to interfere with satisfactory operation of the
instrument or to impair safety, and water sprayed at an angle up to 60º on either side of the
vertical shall have no harmful effects.
Controls and adjustments that may affect the operation of the instrument, including setting of
alarms, shall be designed so that the access to them is limited to authorized persons.
Provisions shall be made to permit testing of visual and/or audible warning indicators without
the use of radiation sources.
4.3 Basic information
4.3.1 Documentation supplied
The manufacturer shall provide instrument performance specifications and instructions for
operation.
4.3.2 Type of radiation detector
The manufacturer shall provide information describing the radiation detector types used (e.g.,
NaI(Tl)).
4.3.3 Size
The dimensions of the instrument shall be specified by the manufacturer.
4.3.4 Weight
The weight or mass of the instrument shall be specified by the manufacturer and should not
exceed 3 kg.
4.4 Communication interface
The instrument shall have the ability to transfer data, such as ambient dose equivalent rate
indication, count rate, source categorization and possibly limited photon spectra to another
device such as a personal computer. The manufacturer shall provide a specification of the
transfer data format.
4.5 User interface
The following features are considered essential or desirable:
a) the following features shall be provided:
– simple to use for non-expert users and user-friendly controls for routine operation;
– photon radiation alarms, with visual and audible signals;

– 12 – 62533 © IEC:2010
– source indicator: audible and/or visual indication that is related to the magnitude of the
radiation field (e.g., increasing frequency or pitch of beep tone with increasing
radiation signal for eyes-free searching and localization);
– readable display in all lighting conditions including darkness;
– controls and switches that are designed in a way to minimize accidental operation;
– diagnostic capabilities;
– indication of battery status;
– capability to operate if the user is wearing gloves (typically gloves used for thermal
protection).
b) the following feature should be provided:
– silent alarms for covert operation such as vibration alarm and/or earphone with user
adjustable earphone volume to cope with the large variations in human hearing
sensitivity and noise level.
4.6 Warm-up time
The manufacturer shall state the time required for the instrument to become fully functional.
The maximum time shall be less than 2 min. If the device includes limited spectrometric
features, up to 5 min is allowed for stabilization. An indication shall be provided to the user
during the period the instrument is not fully ready.
4.7 Markings
4.7.1 General
All external instrument controls, displays, and adjustments shall be identified as to their
function. Internal controls needed for operation shall be identified through markings and
identification in technical manuals. External markings shall be easily readable and
permanently fixed under normal conditions of use.
4.7.2 Exterior markings
The following markings shall appear on the exterior of the instrument or each major assembly
(e.g., detector probe) as appropriate:
• manufacturer and model number,
• unique serial number,
• location of the reference point, and
• function designation for controls, switches, and adjustments that are not menu or software
driven.
4.8 Power supply
4.8.1 Requirements
Instruments shall be equipped with a test circuit or other visible direct indicator of battery
condition for each battery circuit.
The manufacturer shall state the expected continuous operating time using the recommended
batteries and the conditions (functional and environmental) used to determine this time.
4.8.2 External DC or AC power
The instrument shall be capable of operating from an external DC or AC source. Adequate
protection from reverse polarity, over-voltage, and electrical noise shall be provided. DC or
AC power sources may include:
62533 © IEC:2010 – 13 –
a) Nominal 12 V DC as would be obtained from a 12 V vehicle electrical system.
b) A portable battery pack, such as one that can be worn, that supplies 4 V to 28 V DC.
c) A regulated 12 V DC power supply operating from mains power.
d) A single-phase 100 V to 240 V AC and 50 Hz to 60 Hz.
4.9 Protection of controls
Switches and other controls should be designed to minimize or prevent inadvertent
deactivation or improper operation of the instrument.
4.10 Photon ambient dose equivalent rate indication
The instrument shall provide an indication of the ambient dose equivalent rate.
4.11 Alarms
4.11.1 Source indication alarm
A source indication alarm shall be provided when the measured ambient dose equivalent rate
or count rate is above the instrument alarm threshold. This alarm threshold shall be calculated
by the instrument automatically from background measurements using techniques such as a
user definable dose equivalent rate increment, count rate increment or a multiplier value
applied to the standard deviation of the measured background. The alarm shall be visual
and/or audible (or by vibration). It shall not be possible to switch off all alarm indicators at the
same time.
4.11.2 Personal protection alarm
An alarm shall be provided to alert the user that the indicated ambient dose equivalent rate is
above a user-selected threshold level. The alarm shall be both visual and audible (or by
vibration), and shall be adjustable through the restricted mode. The alarm shall have an
“acknowledge” or other similar control to silence the audible function. It shall not be possible
to switch off all alarm indicators at the same time. This alarm shall be different or
distinguishable from the source indication alarm.
The personal protection alarm shall be functional over the stated range of the instrument.
4.12 Effective range of measurement
The effective photon energy response range shall be stated by the manufacturer, and shall
include the range from 45 keV to 1,5 MeV.
The manufacturer shall also state the range for photon ambient dose equivalent rate
–1 –1
measurement. The range shall be at least from 0,02 μSv h to 10 μSv h .
4.13 Angular dependence
The manufacturer shall state the angular dependence of the instrument.
4.14 Explosive atmospheres
The manufacturer shall state as to whether the instrument is certified for use in explosive
atmospheres. The manufacturer shall provide a certificate to show compliance when
certification is claimed.
4.15 Indication features
The instrument shall provide an indication of its operational status and alarm condition. The
user shall have the ability to select the visibility of the status indication.

– 14 – 62533 © IEC:2010
All alarm indicators shall be automatically or manually reset as defined by the user.
5 General test procedure
5.1 Nature of test
Unless otherwise specified in the individual steps, all tests enumerated in this standard are to
be considered as type tests. Certain tests may be considered as acceptance tests by
agreement between the customer and the manufacturer.
When performing radiation tests described in this standard the reference point of the
instrument shall be placed at the point of measurement, and shall be oriented with respect to
the direction of the radiation source as indicated by the manufacturer.
5.2 Reference conditions and standard test conditions
Reference conditions are given in Table 1. Except where otherwise specified, tests shall be
carried out under the standard test conditions shown in Table 1. For those tests performed
outside the standard test conditions, the values of temperature, pressure, and relative
humidity shall be stated and the appropriate corrections made to give the response under
reference conditions. The values of any corrections shall be stated.
Table 1 – Reference conditions and standard test conditions
Influence quantities Reference conditions Standard test conditions
(unless otherwise indicated (unless otherwise indicated
by the manufacturer) by the manufacturer)
137 137
Reference gamma radiation source Cs Cs
a)
Ambient temperature 20 °C 18 °C to 22 °C
a)
Relative humidity 65 % 50 % to 75 %
a)
Atmospheric pressure 101,3 kPa 70 kPa to 106 kPa

–1 –1
Gamma radiation background
"Low" background: 0,05 μSv h "Low" background: 0,05 μSv h
±50 %
–1
"High" background: 0,15 μSv h
–1
"High" background: 0,15 μSv h
±20 %
Electromagnetic field of external Negligible Less than the lowest value that
origin causes interference
Magnetic induction of external Negligible Less than twice the value of the
origin induction due to earth's magnetic field
Assembly controls Set up for normal operation Set up for normal operation
Contamination by radionuclides Negligible Negligible
NOTE The characteristics of, and dosimetry methods for, the reference photon radiations are given in ISO 4037-1,
ISO 4037-2, and ISO 4037-3.
a)
The values in the table are intended for tests performed in temperate climates. In other climates the actual
values of the quantities at the time of test shall be stated.

5.3 Reference gamma radiation background
The instruments addressed by this standard are able to detect small variations in the range of
the natural background. Special care should be taken to check the performances over levels
of background commonly encountered.
For the purpose of some tests 2 levels of background are considered:

62533 © IEC:2010 – 15 –
–1
• "low" background level of 0,05 μSv h (± 50 %);
–1
• "high" background level of 0,15 μSv h (± 20 %).
It is important that, for the limited spectrometric based function (see 7 . 1 an d 7.3), the spectral
distribution of the background shall be realistic and represents a wide range of areas where
the instruments are likely to be used. The levels and appropriate spectra shape can be
created for the testing purpose by, e.g., granite blocks, ceramic tiles, etc.
5.4 Statistical fluctuations
For any test involving the use of radiation, if the magnitude of the statistical fluctuations of the
indication arising from the random nature of radiation alone is a significant fraction of the
variation of the indication permitted in the test, then sufficient readings shall be taken to
ensure that the average value of such readings may be estimated with sufficient precision to
determine whether the requirements for the characteristic under test are met.
The interval between such readings shall be sufficient to ensure that the readings are
statistically independent.
6 Radiation tests
6.1 Rate of false alarms (source indication)
6.1.1 Requirements
The number of source-indication false alarms shall not exceed 1 per hour. The length of each
false alarm shall not exceed 3 s.
6.1.2 Test method
The alarm threshold settings used in this test and in 6.2 shall be the same.
Test shall be carried out at "low" and "high" background conditions with the instrument being
monitored for 10 h.
The number of false source indication alarms during this period shall not exceed 10 for each
instrument tested over the 10 h period. The length of each false alarm shall not exceed 3 s.
6.2 Source alarm and response time
6.2.1 Requirements
The instrument shall alarm when it is exposed to an increase of the ambient dose equivalent
–1
rate equal or greater than 0,05 μSv h within 3 s of the step change. In addition, the
displayed ambient dose equivalent rate indication shall be within ±30 % of the changed
ambient dose equivalent rate within 5 s of the change. The requirement should be met for
241 137 60
Am, Cs and Co sources.
6.2.2 Test method
This test shall be made after the false alarm test (6.1) and using the same settings as for the
false alarm test.
Turn on the instrument in the “high” background condition. Increase the dose equivalent rate
–1
by 0,05 μSv h within 1 s using the Cs source. Observe the instrument’s response. The
alarm shall be activated within 3 s of the step change, and the indicated ambient dose
equivalent rate shall be within ±30 % of the radiation level within 5 s of the change. The alarm

– 16 – 62533 © IEC:2010
shall then be acknowledged and the process repeated nine additional times. Results are
acceptable when the alarm is activated at least 9 out of 10 exposures.
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The test shall be repeated with the Am and Co sources.
The test shall be repeated for the “low” background condition.
6.3 Personal protection alarm and response time
6.3.1 Requirements
The instrument shall alarm when it is exposed to an increase in the ambient radiation level
greater than personal protection alarm threshold within 2 s of the step change.
6.3.2 Test method
Using a Cs source, increase the ambient dose equivalent rate at the reference position to
–1
30 % above the personal-protection threshold (e.g., threshold of 10 μSv h ). This shall
trigger a personal protection alarm in less than 2 s.
6.4 Ambient dose equivalent rate indication
6.4.1 Requirements
Under standard test conditions, the response of the instrument to the reference photon

–1
radiation shall not exceed ± 30 % for all ambient dose equivalent rates from 0,1 μSv h up to
the upper stated limit.
6.4.2 Test method
Before and after the tests, take the instrument's background reading and determine the mean
background reading. Expose the instrument to ambient dose equivalent rates from test
–1 –1 –1
sources of 0,1 μSv h , 1 μSv h , 10 μSv h and 80 % of stated upper limit and determine
the response subtracting the mean background. Verify that the response for all exposures are
within the stated requirement.
241 137 60
The test shall be performed with Am, Cs and Co reference sources.
6.5 Over range characteristics for ambient dose equivalent rate indication
6.5.1 Requirements
The instrument shall indicate that an over range condition exists when the ambient dose
equivalent rate is greater than the manufacturer’s stated maximum ambient dose equivalent
rate.
6.5.2 Test method
Using a Cs source, expose the instrument to a step change in the ambient dose equivalent
rate from ambient radiation levels to 10 times that of the manufacturer-stated maximum
–1
ambient dose equivalent rate or 1 mSv h , whichever is greater. The instrument shall
indicate that an over range condition exists within 3 s of the step change and shall remain in
that condition for the entire exposure period (minimum of 5 min). After a minimum of 5 min
exposure, reduce the radiation field to the pre-test value. The instrument shall operate
normally within 5 min.
62533 © IEC:2010 – 17 –
7 Additional functions
7.1 General
All tests in Clause 7 are optional, but shall be done if the instrument has these functions.
7.2 Rejecting natural background variation encountered when used in movement
7.2.1 Objective and genera
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