In accordance with the Law on Radiation Protection of the Republic of Lithuania and Radiation Protection Centre (RSC) Statute RSC has established division of Radiation Protection Training. It coordinates, organizes and implements training courses for workers of organizations, private companies responsible for radiation protection and dealing with sources of ionizing radiation, for state administrative persons working in the field of accident management, for state officers, RSC personnel, and other foreign specialists, students and public regarding radiation protection and preparedness for radiological emergency as well qualification refresh. This division plans, cumulates, structures and renews training materials. This division also has wide range of dosimetry equipment for practical trainings.

ACTIVITIES

Training of radiation protection is one of the basic instruments to form responsible public position of safe behaviour with sources of ionizing radiation. Skills and knowledge gained in radiation protection trainings guaranties proper and effective use of radiation protection principles to protect public, patients, and workers, dealing with sources of ionizing radiation from harmful ionizing radiation effects for health and environment.

Several years experience in radiation protection training has provided that the quality training depends of the collaboration between education and training institutions, regulatory authorities and different ministries. It is very important to prepare and approve legal acts on radiation protection training. Following the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and European Union requirements and recommendations legal acts on compulsory training have been prepared and approved.

According to the legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, everyone who deals with ionizing radiation sources has to be trained on radiation protection, and have to have Certificate on Radiation Protection. Training Centres issue Certificate on Radiation Protection for Person who had compulsory training of radiation protection and passed an examination.

Employer has to have in mind that radiation protection officers and workers dealing with ionizing radiation have to be retrained of radiation protection every five years.

The Radiation Protection Centre has qualified staff, innovative technologies, training resources in accordance with international requirements, big conference room in which modern synchronical translation equipment is installed (suitable for various teaching methods). IAEA, European Commission (EC), Ministry of Health and other foreign countries contributed in obtaining equipment mentioned above.

IAEA, World Health Organization, EC, International Radiation Protection Association, International Commission on Radiological Protection, Nuclear Energy Agency, American Radiation Protection Society, Sweden and Finland nuclear and radiation protection regulatory authority and other organizations publications (recommendations and radiation protection training material) are available in the RSC library for education of staff from health care, education and industry fields. Currently there are over 3900 publications in the library and the latest publications related to radiation protection are added to RSC library too.

IAEA acknowledged that RSC is able to organize radiation protection trainings for foreign specialists and every year specialists from various states (Tajikistan, Georgia, Montenegro, Egypt, Iran, Kuwait and other) are sent for trainings to RSC. Foreigners are interested in radiation protection framework in Lithuania and RSC activities.

 

COOPERATION

RSC collaborates in radiation protection training field with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) European Commission (EC), U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Customs Training Center, Firefighters Training School of the Fire and Rescue Department under Ministry of the Interior. For more please see here.





RADIATION PROTECTION TRAINING IN 2010

Various events were organized in 2010: conferences, regional training courses, etc., for Lithuanian and foreign specialists. Dynamics of numbers of specialists having attended events organized in 2007–2010 is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 Dynamics of numbers of specialists having attended events in 2007 – 2010

 

Cooperation and communication with educational establishments: universities, colleges, secondary schools is critical in order to increase public awareness on ensuring radiation protection, informing about ionizing radiation and ways helping to reduce its harmful health effects.

Joint events were arranged, presentations were delivered in cooperation with Vilnius University (VU), Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) and other educational and science establishments. RSC was visited by students of VGTU and faculties of Medicine, Physics, Natural Sciences of VU, and pupils of Vilnius Antakalnis, P. Skorina, Š. Aleichem, Versmė and Naujamiestis secondary schools. Pupils and students were informed about activities ensuring public radiation protection, about research programs and problems of reducing natural and medical exposure.

More than 40 Lithuanian specialists of various areas (radiologists, medical physicists, etc.) participated and improved qualifications in foreign events organized under IAEA regional projects, which are coordinated by RSC in Lithuania in various areas (natural, occupational and medical exposure, radiological accident management, etc.). In cooperation with IAEA, RSC organized one national and three international trainings attended by Lithuanian and foreign specialists.

As every year, RSC specialists shared their knowledge and experience with other radiation protection specialists and members of the public interested in radiation protection: they delivered lectures on topical radiation protection subjects in more than 30 events of various institutions and authorities (Firefighters Training School of the Fire and Rescue Department under Ministry of the Interior, Border Guard School of State Border Guard Service at the Ministry of the Interior, Customs Training Centre, etc.).

Seminars on relevant radiation protection subjects were arranged for target specialist groups: radiation protection officers of health care institutions, fire and rescue personnel, and representatives of scrap metal buying and recycling companies, municipal ecologists.

It is worth noting that in 2010 all the training institutions engaged in informal radiation protection training renewed their training programmes and approved them with RSC, as required by law. One establishment has switched to a modular training system.

Contacts:
Radiation Protection Centre
Department of Expertise and Exposure Monitoring
Division of Radiation Protection Training
Kalvarijų 153, LT-08221, Vilnius
Lithuania
ph. +370 5 236 1936
fax +370 5 276 36 33
j.vaicekaviciuteATrsc.lt; rscATrsc.lt

Last update 12 September 2011