Nuclear Technicians — Tasks

Task statements

• Follow nuclear equipment operational policies and procedures that ensure environmental safety.
• Conduct surveillance testing to determine safety of nuclear equipment.
• Monitor nuclear reactor equipment performance to identify operational inefficiencies, hazards, or needs for maintenance or repair.
• Test plant equipment to ensure it is operating properly.
• Apply safety tags to equipment needing maintenance.
• Follow policies and procedures for radiation workers to ensure personnel safety.
• Modify, devise, or maintain nuclear equipment used in operations.
• Monitor instruments, gauges, or recording devices under direction of nuclear experimenters.
• Perform testing, maintenance, repair, or upgrading of accelerator systems.
• Warn maintenance workers of radiation hazards and direct workers to vacate hazardous areas.
• Calculate equipment operating factors, such as radiation times, dosages, temperatures, gamma intensities, or pressures, using standard formulas and conversion tables.
• Measure the intensity and identify the types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials, using radiation detectors or other instruments.
• Communicate with accelerator maintenance personnel to ensure readiness of support systems, such as vacuum, water cooling, or radio frequency power sources.
• Identify and implement appropriate decontamination procedures, based on equipment and the size, nature, and type of contamination.
• Decontaminate objects by cleaning them using soap or solvents or by abrading using brushes, buffing machines, or sandblasting machines.
• Collect air, water, gas or solid samples for testing to determine radioactivity levels or to ensure appropriate radioactive containment.
• Determine or recommend radioactive decontamination procedures, according to the size and nature of equipment and the degree of contamination.
• Set up equipment that automatically detects area radiation deviations and test detection equipment to ensure its accuracy.