Radioactive waste treatment is an issue that affects many sectors of the economy. Beyond the nuclear power industry, disposing of radioactive waste safely and legally requires training for those involved in university and private research firms, hospitals and medical imaging centers, manufacturers of radioactive equipment and transportation firms involved in nuclear waste removal. A whole industry unto itself has grown up around this need, with nuclear waste storage companies and radioactive waste disposal companies hiring from many fields.
To prepare for or advance a career in nuclear and toxic waste disposal, or simply to review the regulations and protocols that affect employees working with radioactive materials, explore the following options in radioactive waste disposal education and training:
1. Acquire training in radioactive waste treatment that's tailored to your specific industry and job responsibilities.
2. Seek formal education and certification to advance a career in nuclear waste transportation or management with a radioactive waste disposal company.
3. Capitalize on the availability of online information about nuclear waste disposal for continuing education and on-the-job reference.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Get job-specific training in disposing of radioactive waste
When it comes to issues of radioactive waste disposal, companies and institutions use a wide variety of protocols. If you're dealing with radioactive waste from a research lab or medical imaging facility, for example, you face different challenges than the nuclear waste removal issues a power plant grapples with. Choose radioactive waste disposal education and training that's suited to your situation.
I recommend: Pangea Group, an environmental engineering firm, offers training for hazardous waste operators, radiation workers and radiological control technicians in a variety of industries; training sessions take place at your job site or at Pangea's St. Louis headquarters. The
Division of Research Safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, like many university labs, offers a 20-minute online tutorial with printable certificate for researchers who must handle radioactive waste disposal.
Undergo more thorough education in nuclear and toxic waste disposal
For professionals in nuclear waste disposal companies or those involved in the transportation of radioactive waste, more extensive training is often required by federal law. This specialized training is designed to deal with a range of issues in radioactive waste treatment, transportation and disposal.
I recommend: The
Radiation Safety Academy, a division of Dade Moeller & Associates, offers a 3-day course in Low-Level Radioactive and Mixed Waste Management. Those registered for the class can also take the training for the DOT-required Hazardous Materials Transportation Safety Awareness certificate at no additional cost. Nuclear scientists and program managers can take the 3-day Radioactive Waste Management & Repository Sciences Training from the
Radiochemistry Society.
Make use of online resources to review information about nuclear waste disposal
Either as preparation for more formal radioactive waste disposal education and training or as a self-taught refresher course, you can make use of numerous online sources of nuclear waste disposal information.
I recommend: The University of California San Francisco's
Office of Environmental Health & Safety offers an online Radiation Safety Training Manual that addresses issues of nuclear waste. Companies and individuals looking for a comprehensive overview can download the publication Radioactive Waste: Production, Storage, Disposal from the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
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