A group of officers from Amandi Investment Limited, specialized in Civil and Marine-Engineering solutions have successfully undergone Radiation Protection and Safety Training at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC).
The weeklong programme that was hosted by the Radiation Protection Institute (RPI) of GAEC, sought to equip the twelve on safety, movement control and administrative procedures of radioactive materials and potential health hazards associated with ionizing radiations, among others.
The Manager of the Radiation Protection Training and Consultancy Centre of RPI, Dr. Stephen Inkoom, expressed joy at the success of the programme and disclosed that participants were taken through areas such as, Nuclear Gauges, Types of Radiation Exposures, Radiation Quantities and Units, National and InternationalLegal Frameworks for the Control of Nuclear and Radioactive Materials. These frameworks include the new provisions of the International Basic Safety Standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Requirements of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Ghana (Act 895 of 2015).
According to him, regulatory requirements of the NRA, under NRA Act 895 of 2015 requires that Radiation Protection Officers (RPOs) and Qualified Operators/Personnel operating with radiation sources shall have appropriate training and relevant experiencein Radiation Protection and Safety.
Also, participants were trained in Potential Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation,Basic Principles of Radiation Protection,Importance of Dose Limitation, Personnel Monitoring at the Workplace, Use of Survey Meters and Contamination Monitors, and Emergency Preparedness and Response to Nuclear/Radiological Emergencies.
Dr. Inkoom further explained that the training course specifically equipped the RPOs and Qualified Operators/Staffof Amandi Investments Limitedwith the requisite knowledge and skills on how to safely utilize Troxler (a Nuclear Moisture Density Gauge) for Quality and Process Control in their Engineering and Construction works.
Dr. Inkoom was confident that his outfit would continue to build the capacity of RPOs and Qualified Operators/Staff for industries in Ghana and across Africa for radiationprotection andsafety. He urged management of institutions that utilize radiation emitting devices and radioactive sources to consider regular refresher courses for their RPOs in order to be at par with modern trends and technologies in radiationprotection and safety.
Source: www.gaecgh.org
