tl;dr: You need Radiation Safety Officer Refresher training every two to three years.
Refreshing your skills
Dear Dr. Zoomie – during a recent radiation safety audit there was a comment that I haven’t had Radiation Safety Officer Refresher training in more than five years. There’s nothing in my license about Radiation Safety Officer Refresher training, nor did I see anything in the regulations. I give annual refresher training to our radiation workers, but it seems sort of silly to give this training to myself. Can you tell me what they’re looking for? Thanks!
So here’s the thing – the Radiation Safety Officer (RSO) is a radiation worker and, as such, the RSO needs to have some sort of refresher training as well. Having said that, regulators recognize that it makes no sense for RSOs across the nation to spend time talking to themselves every year; they also recognize that it can get expensive to require the RSO to pay for refresher training classes every year. Generally, the regulators I’ve worked with as an RSO as well as a consultant have felt that seem to feel that RSOs should receive some sort of refresher training every two to three years.
As to what that training should include…that’s left somewhat nebulous. You can’t go wrong with an RSO refresher training class that covers all of the materials mentioned in 10 CFR 19.12 – these are required training for all radiation workers and would certainly apply to the RSO as well. And if you’re only a part-time RSO – maybe you’re primarily a CIH, CSP, a technician…someone who works with radiation and has a bit of a scientific or technical background, but whose non-radiation work takes most of your time – then this might be the best refresher for you to take.
Having said that, there are other options you can take. The reason for taking refresher training is to keep one’s skills and knowledge at an appropriate level for managing your radiation safety program. If, for example, you’ve issued radiation dosimeters to your rad workers (or if you’re wondering if you should) then spending a few days learning about how dosimeters work, their strengths and weaknesses, how to properly wear them, interpreting dosimetry reports, and so forth…this would be time well-spent and would certainly count as your RSO refresher training. But, really, most radiation-related short courses are going to include the basic information called for in regulations – there’s nothing wrong with taking a class, even if it has little to do with your license, simply to broaden your horizons.
With all of that said, you might wonder how I show my own compliance with the RSO refresher training; my case is a little different from most. As a Certified Health Physicist (CHP) I need to go through recertification every four years, which includes earning 80 continuing education credits every four years – an average of 20 annually. I can earn these credits by writing research papers, writing books, developing new classes that I’m going to teach, giving presentations at professional meetings, taking classes, and so forth – showing that I’m remaining engaged in my profession and maintaining my professional knowledge and skills. I’m not sure that this would be appropriate for you or not, but it can’t hurt to ask your regulator if you’re curious.