Definitions, competence and training of RPEs, RPOs and RWs: Italian national view

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Definitions, competence and training of RPEs,
RPOs and RWsItalian national view

• Andrea Luciani, Giorgio Cucchi

ANPEQ - National Professional Association of
Italian Qualified Experts in Radiological
Protection
Second EUTERP Platform Workshop Definitions,
Qualifications and Requirements for Radiation
Protection Experts, Radiation Protection Officers
and Radiation Workers
Vilnius, Lithuania 23-25 April 2008
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Introduction

• Scope of the Workshop (National Contact Points)
• Definitions and competence requirements for RPEs,
  RPOs, as well as their roles, duties and
  responsibilities.
• Requirements for training and education of RWs
• The impacts of the implementation of the
  proposals

• State-of-the-art in the national legislation

• National view on the new definitions,
  requirements and their impact

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Qualified Expert (RPE) expertise

• Expertise of the QE is related to the type of
  radiological source
• Three levels of expertise are identified each
  level includes the sources of the lower levels
• 1st degree  radiological devices accelerating
  electrons with a maximum voltage value, applied
  to the tube, of 400 kV
• 2nd degree  devices producing radiations with
  accelerated electrons with energy up to 10 MeV 
  radioactive sources, including all the natural
  sources and the neutrons sources, with an
  emission rate on the whole solid angle not larger
  than 104 n/s
• 3rd degree  every source, including nuclear
  plants

• State-of-the-art in the national legislation

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Qualified Expert (RPE) recognition
Bachelor degree
Bachelor degree
Bachelor degree
Bachelor degree
Education
University degree
University degree
School of Health Physics (4 years) MPE
120 work days 120 work days
120 work days
On the Job Training
120 work days 120 work days
120 work days
Examination
3rd degree

• State-of-the-art in the national legislation

Complexity of the radiological source
2nd degree
1st degree
Qualification for type of radiological source
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Radiation Protection Officer

• The RPO, as defined in the IAEA documents in
  relation to his education, training and
  responsibilities, is NOT present in the Italian
  legislation
• The Italian legislation foresees that an
  employee, even without the recognition as QE, may
  be in charge of some basic tasks for assuring the
  physical radiological protection
• He is chosen by the employer in agreement with
  the QE and he works under the responsibility of
  the QE

• State-of-the-art in the national legislation

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Radiation Workers

• The RWs (i.e. the workers occupationally exposed
  to the risk deriving from the ionizing
  radiations) have to be instructed according to an
  appropriate education and training programme.
• They have to be informed about the specific risks
  which they are exposed to, the rules of health
  protection, the consequences of not following the
  medical advices, the best way of execution of the
  work tasks from the point of view of the
  radiological protection.
• The education and training of the radiation
  workers is a responsibility of the employer that
  has to consult the local QE.
• No other specific requirements for the education
  and training programmes are established by the
  national legislation.

• State-of-the-art in the national legislation

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EUTERP issues

• National view on the new definitions,
  requirements
• and their impact in relation to
• Radiation Protection Experts (Qualified Experts)
• Radiation Protection Officers
• Radiation Workers

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Qualified Expert (RPE)

• Qualified Expert is proposed to be changed to
  Radiation Protection Expert (RPE).
• RPE is more descriptive (radiation protection)
• matter of concern lack of any reference to the
  term qualification or similar ones that imply
  that a professional certification was earned
  (likely after an examination) from a regulatory
  authority.
• A term including any reference to a certification
  or qualification procedure would be advisable
• (e.g. in the Italian legislation the QE is the
  abbreviated form for Qualified Expert for
  Ionizing Radiations
• in US the CHP, Certified Health Physicist, or
  the RRPT, Registered Radiation Protection
  Technologist)

National view on the new definitions and
requirements
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Qualified Expert (RPE)

• RPE as adviser of the employer
• In comparison to the present definition of QE
  given in the directive 96/29, skills to carry
  out physical, technical or radiochemical tests
  are not explicitly mentioned
• The RPE becomes a high level professional man
  able to provide advice on a wide range of
  radiation protection matters, having a thorough
  understanding of the relevant national
  legislation
• In this frame the level of bachelor for the RPE
  can be considered only the minimum acceptable
  education level an experience considered as
  equivalent to this minimum education level seems
  to be hardly acceptable
• Experience, with its important advantages from a
  practical point of view, may, more likely, be
  equivalent to a part or, in some cases, the whole
  training

National view on the new definitions and
requirements
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Qualified Expert (RPE)

• Training and experience
• There is a great number of training methods
  available, e.g. classroom presentations,
  practical exercises, distance learning, OJT
• However, the OJT should be always present and
  should play one of the major roles
• In this frame, the work experience does not seem
  to be a necessary requirement the experience if
  gained as part of an appropriate OJT,
  particularly if carried out strictly close to the
  local RPE, could be acceptable as one of the
  evidences provided in support of RPE requirements

National view on the new definitions and
requirements
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Qualified Expert (RPE)

• Renewal
• Refresher and update training courses seem to be
  the most appropriate methods
• Work experience may indicate the RPE is still
  familiar with the knowledge and the tasks of his
  profession, but it does not assure his skills are
  also updated in relation to the legislation and
  technical evolution
• Teaching, membership of committees, etc. are not
  considered particularly useful for the renewal of
  the recognition as RPE
• Mutual recognition
• Appropriate language skills and knowledge of the
  national legislation are reasonably important
  elements, but it is questionable if they have to
  be mandatory (refer to recognized professions
  in other fields)

National view on the new definitions and
requirements
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Radiation Protection Officer

• RPO is an individual technically competent in
  radiation protection matters, he is designated by
  the registrant to oversee the application of the
  relevant standards and legislative requirements
  and he is supposed to be in a suitable management
  position to appropriately carry out his duties
  (next EU BSS)
• On the base of this definition, it is not clear
  if the RPO acts always on the base of the general
  guidance and advice provided by the RPE to the
  registrant. In this frame, it would be reasonable
  that the RPO is designated by the registrant with
  the approval of the RPE
• RPO should belong to the work organization where
  the radiation sources are used and for which he
  is asked to provide his service
• Work experience may be a significant requirement,
  more than for the case of the RPE. At the same
  time, the maintenance of the competence (renewal)
  seems to be less significant

National view on the new definitions and
requirements
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Radiation Workers

• Training
• Based on
• a basic module about ionizing radiation matters
  (physics, biological effects, radiation
  protection principles)
• more specific modules related to the actual tasks
  of the RW (e.g. safe handling of the sources,
  RWs duties, internal regulations and medical
  instructions, etc.)
• At the simplest level, the training could be
  organized by the registrant himself, with the
  help and following the advice of the RPE
• A final text is advisable
• Frequency of the training events following
  principles and approaches adopted in European
  legislation for the safety of workers in other
  work environments

National view on the new definitions and
requirements
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Aciu! Thank!