Emerging Training Needs and

Issues in Radiological

Protection

Derek Hagemeyer, Greg Nichols

32nd International Dosimetry

and Records Symposium

Scottsdale, AZ

June 2-6, 2013

Outline

• Introduction

• Domestic (US) Needs/Trends

• International Needs/Trends

• Post-Fukishima Issues

• Summary

2

Introduction

3

Brief Overview Driving Issues

• Post-Fukishima awareness

• Ageing population in Europe/US

• Growing demand in Asia/South America

• No/extremely limited resources in emerging markets (Mid-

East/Eastern Europe)

• Increasing use of radiation/nuclear imaging in medicine

• Need for standardized curriculum for radiation protection and

other nuclear workforce skills

• Ability to fill openings for new construction/license renewals

4

Overall Training Trends

• Countries with expanding nuclear power programs (China,

India)

– Scale up existing education and training

• Countries planning to supply nuclear technology to others (US,

Russia, Canada, France, S. Korea)

– Have to meet own national needs and

– Have to transfer education and training capacity with technology

transfer

• Countries embarking on nuclear power (UAE, Vietnam, Belarus)

– Must rely significantly on technology supplier until national

capacities to train workforce are established

5

Domestic Trends

6

Overview of Nuclear Industry in US

• Commercial nuclear industry – 120,000 personnel

• Nuclear Navy (104 reactors) – 40,000 personnel

• Nuclear Regulatory Commission – 4,000 personnel (4.5% HP’s)

• Department of Energy – 100,000 + personnel

• 31 research reactors – thousands of staff

• 16 million nuclear imaging and therapeutic procedures

performed annually

7

OECD/NEA. Nuclear Education and Training: From Concern to Capability, 2012

Ageing Workforce

• 25,000 workers needed in nuclear industry by 2015 (NEI)

• 38% of nuclear workforce eligible for retirement in next 2-3 years (NEI)

• Health Physics Society estimates losing approximately 167 HP’s/yr.

• NEI estimates 4,500 radiation protection technician openings by 2015

• Human Capital Crisis? Failure to address one of the 4 R’s:

– Recruitment

– Resources

– Retention

– Retirement

8

Nuclear Workforce Ageing Trends

9

Source: US NRC Radiation Exposure Information and Reporting System

Education/Training Programs

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)

– Accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology

– ABET accredits over 3,100 programs at more than 670 colleges and universities in 24 countries

• 25 ABET accredited nuclear engineering programs in US, some incorporate health physics

• 7 separate ABET accredited health physics programs

• Over 40 trade schools/community colleges within NUCP

• 19 universities with nuclear medicine programs

• Approximately 100 trade schools and community colleges with radiologist assistant degree programs

• New HP grads (non-trade school/community college) have declined by 21% since 1998

10

Education/Training Programs (cont’d)

11

Health Physics Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2005 Data/2010 Data (ORISE) 2006, 2011

0

50

100

150

200

250

Nu

mb

er

of

De

gre

es

Gra

nte

dHealth Physics Degree by Type and Year Granted

PhD

MS

BS

Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program (NUCP)

• Developed by nuclear industry and NEI

• Standardized certificate program to educate operators and technicians for jobs at nuclear power plants

• Established in 2007 with 3 goals:

– Balance supply/demand for skilled nuclear power workers

– Provide uniform curriculum to ensure those trained for critical jobs meet industry-wide learning objectives

– Process meets needs of entire industry and not just individual companies

• First certificates issued from Chattanooga State and Salem Community College in 2010

• Now Over 40 community colleges partnered with industry

• Maintained by National Academy for Nuclear Training (INPO)

12

NUCP Schools with Radiation Protection Programs

13

NEI, Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program Partnered Community Colleges, 2013

Government Support

• Millions of dollars in scholarships and grants provided to colleges/universities annually to support nuclear training, education, and research

• Major supporters of nuclear energy workforce training programs: NRC, DOE, NNSA

• Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)

– Supports DOE’s national agenda to advance science education and research programs

– Supports DOE and NRC missions for education and health research

– $229.4 million for Science Education Programs in 2012

– ORISE trained thousands in health physics, public and environmental health, worker health and safety, national security and emergency management in FY12.

– More than 8,300 students, recent graduates, postdoctoral researchers and faculty participated in ORISE and ORAU science education and workforce development programs in FY12.

• Additional support comes from Department of Labor and the National Science Foundation

• BUT: Most of this funding supports engineering, physics, and chemistry, not necessarily health physics

14

Industry Demands/Challenges

15

• Nuclear power in the mix for carbon emissions

reduction/driving construction

• 50-65 GW generated by coal plants to retire by 2020

• 220 GW new generation planned by 2035

• NRC has renewed licenses for 63 reactors

• 12 new applications under review

• ANSI/ANS N3.1 "Selection, Qualification and Training of

Personnel for Nuclear Power Plants" update coming soon

Industry Demands/Challenges (cont’d)

• NEI and Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) signed

formal agreement

– Industry wants young, experienced workers to replace those that

are retiring

– Navy wants to transition service personnel to private sector after

time in service ends (secure jobs for veterans)

– Navy wants trained, new recruits

• Big problem: Health physicists/rad protection techs fall under

Navy Medicine (BUMED), not NNPP

16

International Trends

17

OECD/NEA and IAEA

• Radiation protection and public health activities

– Periodic surveys on university programs in radiation protection (in

1996, 2001 and 2005)

– In May 2009 a meeting topical session was held on “Qualified

human resources in the field of radiation protection”

• Nuclear Knowledge Management Unit (NKM)

– Assess the status of and trends in nuclear education, including the

harmonization of curricula in nuclear education and the

preservation of knowledge

18

Europe

• Council Directive 96/29/EURATOM

• ETRAP (Education and Training in Radiation Protection)

Conferences

– 1999/2003: emerging need for consistent education and training in

radiological protection

– 2005: clarification, harmonization, broadening perspective,

international cooperation

– 2009: Confirmation and evaluation

– 2013: March, Vienna

19

Europe (cont’d)

• ENETRAP 6FP (2005-2007) (European Network on Education

and Training in Radiation Protection)

• 2006 EUTERP Platform (European Training and Education in

Radiation Protection)

– Facilitate transnational access to education and training

– Harmonize criteria and qualifications

– Remove obstacles for mobility within EU

– Advise and revision of Basic Safety Standards

• ENETRAP II (2009-2012)

– Develop European high-quality “reference standards” and good

practices in radiation protection

20

Emerging Nuclear Energy Countries

• Power reactors under construction

– UAE

• Contracts signed, legal and regulatory infrastructure well-developed

– Lithuania

– Turkey

– Belarus

• Committed plans, legal and regulatory infrastructure developing

– Vietnam

– Jordan

– Poland

– Bangladesh

21

Nuclear Growth in Asia

22

Power Reactors Operable or

in Operation

Power Reactors Under

ConstructionPower Reactors Planned

Bangladesh 2

China 15 26 51

India 20 7 18

Indonesia 2

Japan 50 3 10

S. Korea 23 4 5

Pakistan 3 2

Vietnam 4

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Others/Asia-s-Nuclear-Energy-Growth/

Post-Fukishima Issues

23

Joint G8/OECD NEA Statement (June 2011)

• Necessary to reinforce the global role and missions of the IAEA

and in particular the review mechanisms for which it is

responsible.

• It is also necessary to reinforce the safety activities of the OECD

Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) working towards greater

harmonization of safety practices.

• Crisis management training should be carried out at the

international level in order to bring together a maximum amount

of experience.

24

ICRP Task Force 84

• Identified issues and made recommendations regarding the

response to the Fukishima disaster

• 18 issues were identified with some broad themes regarding

radiological protection

– Dosimetry issues (low-dose, internal, risk coefficients)

– Crisis and medical management

– Protecting volunteers and the public

• 11 recommendations are sure to be good starting points for

future training

25

Fukishima Response Steering Committee (INPO/NEI/EPRI)

• Maintain focus on excellence in existing plant performance

• Develop and issue lessons learned from Fukushima events

• Improve the effectiveness of U.S. industry response capability to

global nuclear events

• Ensure accident response procedures provide steps for

controlling, monitoring, and assessing radiation and

communicating that information

26

IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety

• Approved in September 2011, offered several

recommendations. Those related to radiation protection and

training include:

– IAEA stakeholders should facilitate the use of available information,

expertise and techniques for monitoring, decontamination and

remediation both on and off nuclear sites

– IAEA Secretariat to consider strategies and programs to improve

knowledge and strengthen capabilities in these areas

– Strengthen, develop, maintain and implement their capacity

building programs, including education, training and exercises at

the national, regional and international levels

– To continuously ensure sufficient and competent human resources

necessary to assume their responsibility for safe, responsible and

sustainable use of nuclear technologies

27

US NRC: Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century

• Initiate rulemaking to require EP enhancements for multiunit events in the following areas: personnel and staffing, dose assessment capability, training and exercises, and equipment and facilities. (Section 4.3.1—detailed recommendation 9.1)

• Initiate rulemaking to require EP enhancements for prolonged SBO in the following areas: communications capability, ERDS capability, training and exercises, and equipment and facilities. (Section 4.3.1—detailed recommendation 9.2)

• Study the efficacy of real-time radiation monitoring onsite and within the EPZs (including consideration of ac independence and real-time availability on the Internet). (Section 4.3.2—detailed recommendation 11.3)

• Conduct training, in coordination with the appropriate Federal partners, on radiation, radiation safety, and the appropriate use of KI in the local community around each nuclear power plant. (Section 4.3.2—detailed recommendation 11.4)

28

Summary

• Ageing workforce throughout most of the Western world

• Limited resources but increasing demand for Asia/Middle East

• Countries that export nuclear “know-how” have to support

their domestic needs as well as support radiation protection

needs in growing/developing markets

• In the US, it appears that less-skilled radiation protection

technicians being used to replace long-tenured health physicists

• Fukishima disaster placed greater emphasis on training for

radiation protection and emergency preparedness

29

Questions?

30