Completion of UCOR’s Decommissioning Certification Program
Wade Adams, a Strata-G field radiological engineer supporting UCOR’s Nuclear Waste Operations, has completed the Decommissioning Certificate Program sponsored by Argonne National Laboratory and Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
UCOR asserts, ‘Offered to decommissioning workers internationally, the program provides a formal means to document that an individual has achieved a baseline level of training in facility and site decommissioning. Adams received his certification after successfully completing 120 hours of formal training in the decommissioning process, lessons learned from past experiences, and insights into decision making, planning, and implementing decommissioning of various types of nuclear facilities. The training also includes how to plan and perform radiation surveys and calculate the potential for radiation exposure during the decommissioning process.
“This training and the certification were useful in further developing my skills and making me a better contributor to our cleanup mission,” Adams said. “I learned a lot that helps me on a day-to-day basis.”
Myra Long, UCOR dosimetry and radiological engineering manager, said UCOR has already reaped the benefit of Adams’ training in this program. He recently authored a technical justification to exempt UCOR from a portion of the federal regulations governing surface contamination values of hard-to-detect radionuclides. This exemption allows UCOR to use less expensive, conventional survey techniques to verify the absence of radionuclides can’t be detected using field instruments. DOE Headquarters accepted this justification, and it is now included in UCOR’s Radiological Protection Program.’
Excellent work, Wade! Thank you for continuing to serve our clients with integrity, service, and quality