Scope of IRID

The database is designed to cover radiological accidents and incidents involving actual or potential occupational and public exposure. It specifically includes near misses as there are often valuable lessons to be learned from such occurrences. Therefore in developing the database, it was felt more appropriate to use the word 'incident', as this has a wider meaning than 'accident'. The definition used for IRID is:

An ionising radiation incident is any unintended or ill-advised event, including events resulting from operator error, equipment failure, or the failure of management systems that warranted investigation.

The database deals primarily with the non-nuclear sector, i.e. industry, research, teaching and medicine. It specifically excludes the following, as there are existing mechanisms for recording these sorts of event:

1. nuclear incidents – covered by HSE Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's (NII) Statements of Nuclear Incidents, published each calendar quarter.
2. transport incidents – NRPB runs, under contract to HSE and the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR), a database of incidents involving the transport of radioactive material.
3. patient exposure incidents – incidents involving patients being exposed to a greater or lesser extent than intended are addressed through arrangements of HSE and the Medical Devices Agency.

The database does, however, cover radiological incidents on nuclear sites or medical incidents involving occupational exposure and includes unintentional or unauthorised discharges of radioactive material into the environment.