Radiation Protection Glossary

A radiation protection glossary for Radiation Protection Supervisors (RPS), Radiation Protection Advisers (RPA) and anyone else interesting in radiation safety terms and definitions. The glossary is a mixture of health physics , phrases related to radiation protection legislation, transport, practical safety, technical terms and similar.

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For formal advice, see our Radiation Protection Adviser pages. 

Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA)

Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is a reliability assessment method which analyses engineering or management systems where safety is critical. The technique is used to determine the reliability of a component, or system of components, based on the probability of a component or system failure. The technique is used extensively in the nuclear industry and usually forms a major part of Safety Cases. It is used less in the small user (non-nuclear) sector where more conventional Risk Assessments usually suffice.

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one

– Albert Einstein -