RSC » Activities » Areas of activities » Radiation protection training » Information about radiation protection training

Division

of Radiation Protection

Training

Radiation Protection Training

The Radiation Protection Centre(RPC) is the regulatory body which co-ordinates the activities of executive and other bodies of public administration and local government in the field of radiation protection, exercising state supervision and control of radiation protection, monitoring of public exposure and performance of expertise. RPC organizes open days, seminars, courses, conferences and other training events in order to communicate useful information and educate public in radiation protection field. Furthermore, RPC organizes training courses together with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), European Commission (EC) and other foreign colleagues in Russian and English languages.

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.

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, 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 RPC 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 RPC library too.

In accordance with the Law on Radiation Protection of the Republic of Lithuania and Radiation Protection Centre Statute RPC 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, RPC 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.

IAEA acknowledged that RPC 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 RPC. Foreigners are interested in radiation protection framework in Lithuania and RPC activities. In 2007, 47 foreigners visited Radiation Protection Centre and improved their qualifications.
RPC in 2008 is going to start compulsory radiation protection course of training for workers of the state officers, workers dealing with sources of ionizing radiation and persons responsible for radiation protection. For this purpose, there were prepared and approved training programmes suitable for different groups of interest and fulfilling their needs.

To identify needs of radiation protection training RPC has prepared anonymous questionnaire. 70 Lithuanian industry, health care and educational organizations, which have persons responsible for radiation protection, answered given questions. In average 74% of questions were answered among hospitals, odontology organizations answered 30% and industry organizations 28%.

From the graph obvious that all organizations lack information about new legislation and implementation of radiation protection requirements. Referring to these results radiation protection trainings should take into account these questions:

• New legislation in radiation protection;
• Biological effect of Ionizing radiation;
• Measurement indications(values) of the devices used for monitoring and their analysis;
• Surface contamination levels of personal protective equipment, devices and premises;
• Prevention and management of the radiological emergency and practical training;
• Quality assurance system.

Training programmes, prepared for educating these persons:

1. Training programmes for workers and persons responsible for radiation protection:
1.1. Health care institutions:
1.1.1. Health care workers, working with dental X-ray diagnostics training programme of radiation protection (30 hours)*;
1.1.2. Radiotherapy workers radiation training programme of radiation protection (30 hours)*;
1.1.3. Nuclear medicine workers training programme of radiation protection (30 hours)*;
1.2. Industrial objects:
1.2.1. Workers working with industrial radiography equipment training programme of radiation protection (30 hours)*;
1.2.2. Workers working with no medical unsealed sources of ionizing radiation and health care workers working with unsealed sources of ionizing radiation in in-vitro laboratories training programme of radiation protection (30 hours)*;
1.2.3. Workers working in objects where no medical equipment with sealed sources of ionizing radiation is use training programme of radiation protection (30 hours)*;
1.3. Persons responsible for radiation protection:
1.3.1. Persons responsible for radiation protection in facilities using IV and V risk category sources of ionizing radiation training programme of radiation protection (60 hours);
1.3.2. Persons responsible for radiation protection in facilities using I – III risk category sources of ionizing radiation training programme of radiation protection (30 hours);
1.3.2.Persons responsible for radiation protection in facilities using IV and V risk category sources of ionizing radiation training programme of radiation protection (30 hours);
1.4. Head of customs officials, customs officials, State Border Guard Service at the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania, its heads of subdivisions and officers, heads of scrap yards and scrap recycling facilities, and administration members ( 6 hours )* and workers (8,5 hours)*.
2. Emergency preparedness and response training programmes:
2.1. Radiological emergency consequences training programme of radiation protection “Emergency preparedness and response in radiological accidents” for Fire and Rescue Department officers. (16 hours)
2.2. Radiological emergency consequences training programme of radiation protection “Emergency preparedness and response in radiological accidents” for police officers. (16 hours)
2.3. Training programme of radiation protection “Emergency preparedness and response in radiological accidents” for health care workers. (16 hours)

According to the legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, everyone who uses and works with Ionizing radiation sources has to be trained of radiation protection, and have to have certificate of radiation protection. RPC issues Certificate of Radiation Protection for Person who had compulsory training of radiation protection and passed the examination.
Employer has to have in mind that person responsible for radiation protection and workers have to be retrained of radiation protection every five years.
Collaborating with universities RPC organizes various seminars, conferences and training courses to issue upper qualification.

If You would like to participate in training courses of radiation protection, You should contact RPC. You can choose radiation protection trainings according to the prepared training programme or individually. Furthermore, RPC could organize radiation protection trainings in the regions.
If you would like to get more information about radiation protection trainings and RPC activities, You could visit our website: www.rsc.lt

Contacts:

Radiation Protection Centre
Division of Radiation Protection Training
Kalvarijų 153, LT-08221, Vilnius
Lithuania
ph. +370 5 236 1936
fax +370 5 276 36 33
j.vaicekaviciute@rsc.lt; rsc@rsc.lt