IEC standards for radiological equipment: issues for the industry and for end users.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a global standard organisation established under the Presidency of Lord Kelvin in 1906. All medical equipment standards in IEC are dealt with by Technical Committee (TC) 62, and within this, Medical Imaging Equipment Standards are developed under the guidance of Subcommittee (SC) 62B. In September 2005, a special meeting of a Steering Group of IEC SC 62B was held to review X-ray standards and to identify an approach to new standards in this field. The agenda for new standards arising from this was definitively established and consolidated, concentrating on whole systems, with the aspiration of returning later to acceptance test and QA standards. A liaison was also established between SC 62B and SENTINEL. In addition, it was decided to review SC 62B's liaisons with the International Atomic Energy Agency and International Commission on Radiological Protection and some national/international professional bodies.