Licensing requirements regarding the qualification of operating personnel in nuclear power plants

The legal requirements regarding the qualifications of operating personnel in nuclear power plants in the Federal Republic of Germany are outlined as in article 7 of the Atomic Energy Act. For the responsible operating personnel the requisite competence and reliability are legally required; for subordinate personnel the law requires only the necessary knowledge. The requisite competence and the necessary knowledge have been further specified in a set of guidelines by the authorities; work on specification of reliability requirements is under way. Essential elements of the requisite competence of responsible operating personnel are their professional qualification, their safety-related knowledge, their abilities, their practical experience, and - for the responsible shift personnel - their nuclear, plant-related training as well as a written and oral examination. Requalification is indispensible for keeping the requisite competence on a level in accordance with the current state of science and technology. Facts concerning the personal reliability of the responsible operating personnel are assessed by the competent authorities on the basis of information available at other state institutions. For the responsible shift personnel, physical and psychological fitness are important factors contributing to their reliability. The necessary knowledge subordinate operating personnel must possess with respect to plant safety and safety of the personnel is assured via instruction on safety and via special briefings at the working place. Lack of safety-related knowledge has to be compensated for by assigning an experienced permanent supervisor for each activity in question. Current work on qualification of operating personnel concentrates on training, including simulator training, of responsible shift personnel. (author)