- RP Career profiles in the EU legislation
The career profiles that must be properly educated, trained and informed are identified in Chapter IV of the 2013/59/EURATOM, “Requirements for radiation protection education, training and information”:
- radiation protection experts (RPE)
- medical physics experts (MPE)
- occupational health services
- dosimetry services
- radiation protection officers (RPO)
- exposed workers
- workers potentially exposed to orphan sources 1
- emergency workers 2
- practitioners in the field of medical exposure
- the individuals involved in the practical aspects of medical radiological procedures
General information about their competences can be found on Chapter IX, see Article 82 for the Radiation Protection Expert (RPE), Article 83 for the Medical Physic Expert (MPE) and Article 84 for the Radiation Protection Officer (RPO).
HERCA approves an HERCA Action Plan in relation to the transposition and implementation of Directive 2013/59/Euratom. More information is available on the website of HERCA.
- RP career profiles in ENETRAP; Radiation Protection Expert (RPE) and Radiation Protection Officer (RPO)
The ENETRAP projects have as mission to promote a common European radiation protection and safety culture based on the harmonisation of E&T that will favour the mobility of workers and students throughout the European countries.
In these projects some specific documents have been delivered about the RP career profiles: Radiation Protection Expert (RPE) and Radiation Protection Officer (RPO).
ENETRAP I
| Deliverable | Title | WP |
|---|---|---|
| WD.03 | IAEA, EU and local requirements for RP E&T | WP6.Review of the scientific content of IAEA E&T modules and adjustment to European requirements |
| WD.04 | Report on Training needs and capabilities | WP2.Assessment of training needs and capabilities within the EU Member, the New Member States and the Candidate State |
| WD.05 | Report on the lessons learnt from On the Job Training | WP4.On-the-Job Training (OJT) programs |
| WD.07 | Recognition of the RP Training : Recommendations to EU | WP3.Recognition of competencies and diplomas |
ENETRAP II
| WP / WD | Title |
| WP2 | Define requirements and methodology for recognition of RPEs |
| WD2.1 | Report on requirements for RPE |
| WD2.2 | Methodology for recognition of RPE |
| WP3 | Define requirements for RPO competencies and establish guidance for appropriate RPO training |
| WD3.1 | Report on requirements for the RPOs |
| WD3.2 | Report on European reference standards for RPO training |
| WP4 | Establish the reference standard for RPE training |
| WD4.1 | Statement of initial and refresher training requirements for RPE |
| WD4.2 | Reference standards for RPE training |
ENETRAP III
| WP / WD | Title |
| WP6 | Testing of methodologies for RPE recognition and mutual recognition in practice |
| WD6.1 | Report documenting the outcome of liaison with HERCA with respect to the proposed methodologies |
| WD6.4 | Report on the outcome of the trial of national RPE Recognition Scheme |
| WD6.5 | Report on the outcome of the trial of Mutual Recognition of RPEs |
| WP7 | Define requirements for RPO competencies and establish guidance for appropriate RPO training |
| WD7.1 | Guidance document to support the implementation of E&T requirements for RPE* |
| WD7.2 | Guidance document to support the implementation of E&T requirements for RPO* |
*Meanwhile, these documents have received an update.
- Career profile of the Medical Physics Expert
The European Commission Radiation Protection Report 174 “Guidelines on Medical Physics Expert”, specifies the requirements that a Medical Physicist should fulfil in order to be recognized as a Medical Physics Expert by the relevant Competent Authorities as specified by Directive 2013/59/EURATOM.
More information about the MPE can be found on the website of the European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP).
- Career profile of medical professionals involved with the ionizing radiations
For the medical professionals involved with the ionizing radiations, the European Commission Radiation Protection Report 175 “Guidelines on radiation protection education and training of medical professionals in the European Union” updates the publication of 2000 of the European Commission Radiation Protection 116: "Guidelines on education and training in radiation protection for medical exposures”
This brings several additional advantages:
- the document follows the modern format and terminology of the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning;
- detailed requirements for initial and continuing training are specified for each of the included professions;
- the document was developed and endorsed by the major European professional societies in the area, which should provide strong support for its future implementation in everyday practice.
- Career profile in the nuclear sector
For the nuclear sector, as part of the activities of the European Human Resources Observatory for the Nuclear Sector (EHRON) there are a project for the elaboration of an ECVET-oriented Job Taxonomy that has three main objectives:
- Promote the implementation of the ECVET principles in the nuclear education and training.
- Contribute to a common language for nuclear jobs and job requirements.
- Facilitate the design of competence-based qualifications.
The job taxonomy covers the three life-cycle stages of the nuclear power plant: new build, operation, decommissioning. It consists of three elements:
- List of jobs
- Job profiles, focused in the definition of competence required
- Catalogue of knowledge, skill and competence items, to be used as aid for drafting the profiles
More information can be found on the website of EHRON.
- Promotion of RP culture between the RP professionals.
IRPA has published the document “IRPA Guiding Principles for Establishing a Radiation Protection Culture“ that aims at both fostering a belief in the success of cultural approaches, and providing guidance to help equip radiation protection professionals to promote a successful RP culture in their organization and workplace. It should help RP practitioners in establishing their own practical guidelines and recommendations, commensurate with their own specific issues and should be owned at the highest management level in organizations.
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[1] Workers potentially exposed to orphan sources: Large metal scrap yards and major metal scrap recycling installations, and in significant nodal transit points.
[2] Emergency workers: Who are identified in an emergency response plan or management system