The total dose to a group, found by adding everyone's individual dose, expressed in person-sieverts or person-rem. Plants use it to plan and judge ALARA performance for jobs and outages: a steam generator inspection might be budgeted at a set number of person-rem and tracked daily. Collective dose is a management and optimisation tool, not a way to predict effects in individuals.
Scaffold crew blew through the collective dose estimate by 40 percent, we need a post-job review.
Also heard as
- collective effective dose
Related terms
ALARA
As low as reasonably achievable: the principle of keeping doses as low as practical, not just below limits.
Effective dose
A whole-body dose figure that adds up organ doses weighted by each tissue's sensitivity to radiation risk.
Dose limit
The maximum dose a worker or member of the public may legally receive from regulated sources in a set period.
RWP
Radiation work permit: the document that sets radiological conditions, controls and dose limits for a specific job.