Authors : Henry Lawluvi; Cyril Cyrus Arwui; Emmanuel Akrobortu; Nelson Agbemava; Etornam Ann Mensah; Sheilla Victoria Gbormitta

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 4 - April

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/mrxmrjwj

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/2tb8uud3

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26apr1299

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Abstract : Radiation regulatory authorities supervise highly heterogeneous facilities and activities, yet inspection resources are finite and fixed inspection periodicity rarely reflects real differences in hazard, exposure pathways and compliance performance. This paper develops a graded risk based inspection framework that translates international safety requirements into a practical decision model for routine regulatory use. The study is a methodological framework paper based on documentary synthesis and design logic rather than on a primary empirical dataset. International safety standards, technical guidance, selected national regulatory manuals and methodological literature on semi quantitative risk tools were reviewed and converted into an operational model for inspection planning. The proposed framework separates inherent risk from managed risk and integrates five scored domains: hazard tier, exposure potential and operational complexity, compliance and event history, management system maturity, and source lifecycle or safety security flags. A conservative uncertainty uplift, documented override rules, stratified sampling and reactive inspection triggers are incorporated so that low scoring populations do not disappear from regulatory view and missing data do not falsely imply low risk. The main outputs are transparent risk bands linked to inspection frequency, inspection scope, inspector competence requirements and annual portfolio composition. The framework is intended for use by authorities with limited analytics capability as well as by regulators operating structured information systems such as RAIS+. Its main contribution is a reproducible and auditable method for converting a graded regulatory philosophy into an inspection programme that is proportionate, conservative under uncertainty and capable of continuous improvement.

Keywords : Risk Based Inspection; Graded Approach; Radiation Regulation; Compliance; Inspection Planning; Radiological Protection.

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