Radiation Safety
Radiation Protection and Safety for Nuclear Gauge Operators
A theory and practical programme for personnel working with fixed and portable nuclear gauges in plants, processing facilities and construction sites: level, density, moisture, thickness and belt-weigher gauges. It covers the training requirements set by national regulations for personnel working with radioactive sources, and is delivered at your facility on the very gauges the participants operate.
Overview
About the programme
A theory and practical programme for personnel working with fixed and portable nuclear gauges in plants, processing facilities and construction sites: level, density, moisture, thickness and belt-weigher gauges. It covers the training requirements set by national regulations for personnel working with radioactive sources, and is delivered at your facility on the very gauges the participants operate.
Duration
3 days
Training hours
18 hours
Delivery
Training hall · Virtual · At your premises
Language
Arabic or English
Objectives
What trainees will gain
- Understand the operating principle of a nuclear gauge and its components: the source, the shielding, the shutter and the detector.
- Estimate doses around gauges during operation and maintenance, and apply the rules of time, distance and shielding.
- Carry out periodic checks: shutter integrity, leak (wipe) testing and reading monitoring instruments.
- Respond correctly to faults and incidents: a stuck shutter, damaged shielding, and a lost or stolen source.
- Comply with the licensing, record-keeping and notification requirements set by the regulatory body.
Content
What the programme covers
Day 1: Foundations
- The nature, sources and types of ionising radiation: gamma, beta and neutrons.
- Dose quantities and units, occupational and public limits, and the ALARA principle (as low as reasonably achievable).
- Biological effects of radiation and the three means of protection: time, distance and shielding.
Day 2: The gauge and working on it
- Construction of a nuclear gauge: the sealed source, the housing and shielding, the shutter mechanism, and the detector and processing unit.
- Source types common in gauges: caesium-137, cobalt-60, americium-241/beryllium and krypton-85.
- Safe work procedures before, during and after maintenance, and applying radiological lockout/tagout (LOTO).
- Practical exercise: measuring the dose rate around an installed gauge in the open and closed positions, and documenting the results.
Day 3: Monitoring, emergencies and compliance
- Monitoring and survey instruments, their calibration and functional checks, and leak (wipe) testing.
- Emergencies: a stuck shutter, fire or collapse near the gauge, loss of the source, and the limits of what the operator does and what is referred to the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO).
- Licensing and records: the source register, periodic inspection records, notification of transfer and disposal, and facility responsibilities.
- Final theory and practical evaluation.
Who for
Target audience
Nuclear gauge operators, maintenance and instrumentation technicians, and shift supervisors in cement, petrochemical, mining, paper and steel plants and water treatment plants, as well as those using portable moisture-density gauges on road and construction projects.
Method
How it is delivered
Focused instruction combined with hands-on work on the facility's gauges and monitoring instruments; a short workshop for unit managers can be added on the final day. Delivered at your facility or in a venue arranged by the Center, in Arabic or English according to the participants.
A programme tailored to your organisation
The duration and topics of the programme are adjusted to the organisation's needs, and it is delivered at its site, in a training hall arranged by the Center, or virtually.