REMS Frequently Asked Questions
What data is in REMS?
Occupational radiation exposure data for all individuals monitored at
DOE facilities. Includes DOE personnel, contractors, visitors, and members
of the public.
What is the distinction between a "monitored individual" and a
"monitoring record"?
The number of monitored individuals presented in the REMS data and annual
report represent the number of monitoring records reported for unique
individuals. In some cases, individuals may be counted more than once.
Individuals that are monitored at more than one site during a year are
reported and counted more than once. For analysis of these transient workers,
see Section 3.5 of the annual report. In addition, some sites may report
more than one record for an individual during the year for individuals
that visit the site more than once. The effects of this multiple counting
on the data is limited and account for less than 10% of the total number
of monitoring records each year. These individuals tend to receive less
than the average dose, and mostly represent DOE personnel and temporary
visitors. This accounting method does not affect the dose totals.
What dates are covered?
Dose records for each individual are available from 1987 to current.
(There is a one year lag between the current calendar year and the latest
exposure data, e.g., 2012 data are available in the spring of 2013.)
What about data prior to 1987?
Dose records for 1986 are now available by request for individuals for
whom termination reports were submitted by the site prior to 1987. These
records only include individuals employed at a site who terminated employment
between 1969 and 1986. To request exposure information for an individual,
submit a request to the DOE REMS Project Manager,
or the site that provided monitoring.
How do I get access to REMS?
External access to the REMS data is not available due to the security
protections for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) contained in the
database. Requests for information must be submitted to the DOE REMS Project
Manager as described in
http://www.hss.doe.gov/SESA/Analysis/rems/requests.htm
Are there access restrictions?
Yes. Access to the data in REMS includes sensitive individual identification
data that is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, specifically, the names
and Social Security Numbers of monitored individuals. Access to this data
is very limited and is granted on a "need to know" basis in accordance
with the Privacy Act and the System of Records for REMS. If you require
such access and would like to request access to the data in REMS, please
contact the REMS Project Manager.
What other sources of REMS data are available?
- Hardcopy Annual Report
- Web Page (includes annual report)
The DOE Annual Report on Occupational Radiation Exposure contains data
and analysis from the REMS system. In addition to the published report,
there is an Internet web site that contains information concerning occupational
exposure. This web site has the annual report and a query tool that allows
for viewing and downloading of summarized data from the REMS system.
Users are encouraged to visit the web site for their REMS information
needs. There is no cost or authorization associated with the web page.
Vist the HSS REMS web site at:
http://www.hss.doe.gov/SESA/Analysis/rems/
The address for the HSS Radiation Protection page is:
http://www.hss.doe.gov/HealthSafety/WSHP/Radiation/
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