Personnel Certification
CNSC licensees must have qualified personnel trained to carry out activities according the Nuclear Safety and Control Act and its regulations, and as reflected in the licence conditions.
“Qualified” means that applicants are required to demonstrate that their personnel are:
- knowledgeable, in terms of education and experience, to provide the foundational knowledge needed for making sound, safety and competent decisions in the performance of their job duties
- trained, both initially and continually, through programs which are established using the principles of systematic approach to training
- capable, mentally and physically, of performing their job duties
- authorized and evaluated to ensure that they meet applicable requirements prior to being permitted to perform safety-related duties and to guard against personnel performing duties beyond their abilities. Furthermore, key safety-related positions such as senior health physicists, reactor operators, shift supervisors and exposure device operators require certification by the CNSC as qualified to carry out the duties of their employment.
Systematic Approach to Training (SAT)
The CNSC endorses the use of a systematic approach to training to ensure workers have the required knowledge and skills to carry out their duties safely according to the General Nuclear Safety and Control Regulations. International best practices recommend that a logical approach to training should follow these phases:
Analysis phase: Identification of the knowledge and skills required to carry out the duties of a position.
Design phase: Production of training objectives and a training plan to provide the identified knowledge and skills.
Development phase: Preparation of the training material needed to meet the training objectives.
Implementation phase: Use of the training material developed.
Evaluation phase: Review of the data collected during each of the above phases to determine the effectiveness of training and any improvements to training that can be made.