Search Energy.gov

Statement of Victor K. Der, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil Energy before the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives

This Handbook describes an implementation process for core training as recommended in DOE Guide G441.1-1, Management and Administration of Radiation Protection Programs and as outlined in DOE’s Radiological Control Standard (RCS). The Handbook is meant to assist those individuals within the Department of Energy, Managing and Operating contractors, and Managing and Integrating contractors identified as having responsibility for implementing core training recommended by the RCS. While this Handbook addresses the training requirements of 10 CFR 835.103 for Radiological Control Technicians, it must be supplemented with facility specific information to achieve full compliance.

The Qualification Standard states and defines the knowledge and skill requirements necessary for successful completion of the Radiological Control Technician Training Program.

The DOE suggested task worksheets are provided as a guide to develop Job Performance Measures (JPMs). These Guides provide information on tasks common to many sites. Each site must complete a documented job evaluation to validate core and site-specific tasks.

This document provides the methods and guidelines for the implementation of OEBs as indicated in DOE’s Radiological Control Standard (RCS) and the RCT Training Program Management Guide (Part 1 of 9).

This lesson introduces the RCT to the concepts of energy, work, and the physical states of matter. Knowledge of these topics is important to the RCT as he or she works in environments where materials can undergo changes in state, resulting in changes in the work environment.

An overview of counters, scalers and associated equipment will describe the basic functions of counting equipment used to detect radiation activity. The RCT uses information from these counting instruments to identify and assess the hazards presented by contamination and airborne radioactivity and establish protective requirements for work performed in radiological areas. Stand-alone counters or scalers measure gross activity while spectroscopy systems perform spectrum analysis to identify and quantify activity from specific nuclides. The common uses of counting room equipment in various facilities will be discussed.

A working knowledge of the unit analysis and conversion process is necessary for the Radiological Control Technician. It is useful for air and water sample activity calculations, contamination calculations, and many other applications. This lesson will introduce the International System of Units (SI), the prefixes used with SI units, and the unit analysis and conversion process. Many calculations accomplished in radiological control are actually unit conversions, not complex calculations involving formulas that must be memorized.

It is important to a RCT that they have a basic understanding of physics because they may work in an environments where materials can undergo changes in state, resulting in changes in the work environment.

This lesson covers air sampling equipment in relation to types used, operational and physical characteristics, limitations, and methods of sampling. The RCT uses this information to identify and assess the hazards presented by airborne contamination and establish protective requirements for work performed in airborne contamination areas.