Apprenticeship training course

Nuclear health physics monitor (level 2)

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Information about Nuclear health physics monitor (level 2)

Providing radiological monitoring services in the nuclear industry to protect people, plant and the environment from radioactive contamination.

• Knowledge, skills and behaviours:
  View knowledge, skills and behaviours

  Knowledge

  • Awareness of nuclear safety: prevention of accidents, protection of people and the environment from radiation exposure and hazards.
  • Awareness of radiological safety: protection of people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation and contamination.
  • Safety expectations of those working on nuclear licensed sites: Confined spaces, Health and safety at work act. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Manual handling. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Respiratory Protection Equipment (RPE). Situational awareness. Slips, trips and falls. Safety equipment: guards, signage, fire extinguishers. Safe systems of working. Working at height.
  • Security clearances and levels of personnel on nuclear licensed sites: basic clearance (BC), security clearance (SC) and developed vetting (DV) enhanced clearance.
  • Awareness of safety management systems: risk assessments. Principles of As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). Best Available Technique (BAT).
  • Standard operating procedures (SOPs): what they are and why they are important.
  • Environment and sustainability regulations and guidance. Types of pollution and control measures in the nuclear sector, including spills and waste. Waste reduction and waste streams. Recycling and reuse. Sustainable use of equipment and materials.
  • Awareness of how human performance and human factors affect nuclear safety culture.
  • Awareness of radiation types: non-ionising and ionising radiation, alpha, beta, gamma, x-ray and neutron. Atomic structure, criticality, fusion and fission.
  • Types of radiation sources and materials.
  • Control measures for radiation sources, materials and hazards.
  • Identification and purpose of radiological monitoring instruments including personal monitoring equipment (electronic and non-electronic): measurement and referencing levels of ionising radiation detection and exposure.
  • Testing of radiological monitoring instruments using calibrated and sealed radiation sources.
  • Numerical calculation techniques for radiological data and SI units.
  • Emergency response radiological incident contingency plans: emergency environmental radiological releases, critical incident monitoring, forward control points (FCP) and access control points (ACP), supervised and designated areas.
  • Regulatory and legislative guidance: Nuclear Installations Act (NIA), Ionising Radiation Regulations (IRR), Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (REPPIR), International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP), Approved Code of Practice (ACOP).
  • Principles of team working.
  • Documentation and reporting requirements.
  • Verbal communication techniques. Giving and receiving information. Matching style to audience. Nuclear industry terminology.
  • Written communication techniques.
  • Information technology and digital systems: email, management information systems, word processing, work sharing platforms. General data protection regulation (GDPR). Cyber security.
  • Principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and the impact on their work.

  Skills

  • Comply with health and safety regulations and procedures. Challenge unsafe practices.
  • Follow work instructions. For example, risk assessments.
  • Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs).
  • Respond to changes in radiological conditions using safety management systems. For example, As Low As Reasonably Practicable principles (ALARP).
  • Comply with environmental and sustainability regulations and procedures. For example, identify and segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
  • Apply human performance and human factors nuclear culture.
  • Identification of radiation sources and materials.
  • Apply control measures taken with radiation sources and materials.
  • Select and use radiological protection monitoring instruments: for example, smear paper, hand-held radiation and contamination rate meters, installed and portable air samplers.
  • Carry out functional tests of radiation protection monitoring instrumentation using calibrated radioactive sealed sources.
  • Perform numerical calculations for radiological measurements with SI units.
  • Comply with emergency response plans: carry out critical incident monitoring, use forward control points (FCP) and access control points (ACP) to respond and recover from nuclear incidents.
  • Comply with legislative regulations and guidance: Ionising Radiation Regulations (IRR), Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (REPPIR).
  • Record radiation protection monitoring and survey results using required documentation.
  • Apply team working principles.
  • Communicate verbally with colleagues and managers using industry terminology.
  • Communicate in writing with colleagues and managers.
  • Use information technology and digital systems. Comply with GDPR and cyber security.
  • Carry out and record learning and development activities.
  • Follow equity, diversity and inclusion rules.

  Behaviours

  • Put health and safety first.
  • Take ownership of own work and responsibilities.
  • Take responsibility for the quality of work.
  • Respond and adapt to changing work requests.
  • Demonstrate team focus to meet work goals.
  • Consider human performance and human factors principles in the workplace.
  • Seek learning and development opportunities, continual professional development (CPD).
  • Support an inclusive workplace, being respectful of different views.
• Apprenticeship category (sector): Engineering and manufacturing
• Qualification level: 2; Equal to GCSE
• Course duration: 24 months
• Maximum funding: £9,000 ; Maximum government funding for ; apprenticeship training and assessment costs.

View more information about Nuclear health physics monitor (level 2) from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.