Hazardous materials inspector to radiation protection technician
A hazardous materials inspector already meets 39% of what the radiation protection technician role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.7/ 100
1 How much of what a radiation protection technician is expected to do is already part of a hazardous materials inspector’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the radiation protection technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A radiation protection technician role treats 7 of its required skills as things a hazardous materials inspector already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- develop hazardous waste management strategies
- hazardous waste treatment
- hazardous waste types
- perform risk analysis
- radiation protection
- radioactive contamination
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A radiation protection technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a hazardous materials inspector background worth leading with.
- already held inspect compliance with hazardous waste regulations information skills
- already held hazardous materials transportation services
- already held radioactive contamination natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held develop hazardous waste management strategies management skills
- already held hazardous waste treatment services
- already held hazardous waste types services
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the radiation protection technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations required
- still to learn use personal protection equipment required
- optional, not held assist people in contaminated areas optional
- optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
- optional, not held avoid contamination optional
- still to learn calculate exposure to radiation required
- still to learn monitor radiation levels required
- optional, not held document survey operations optional
- optional, not held assess contamination optional
- optional, not held investigate contamination optional
- still to learn monitor nuclear power plant systems required
- optional, not held perform demarcation optional
- still to learn health, safety and hygiene legislation required
- optional, not held contamination exposure regulations optional
- still to learn instruct employees on radiation protection required
- still to learn metrology required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a radiation protection technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 calculate exposure to radiation practise this
- 02 develop radiation protection strategies practise this
- 03 ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 13 skills that carry over
- already held develop hazardous waste management strategies skill
- already held hazardous waste treatment knowledge
- already held hazardous waste types knowledge
- already held perform risk analysis skill
- already held radiation protection knowledge
- already held radioactive contamination knowledge
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held advise on pollution prevention skill
- already held hazardous materials transportation knowledge
- already held hazardous waste storage knowledge
- already held inspect compliance with hazardous waste regulations skill
- already held pollution prevention knowledge
- already held test safety strategies skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn nuclear reprocessing required
- still to learn develop radiation protection strategies required
- optional, not held remove contaminated materials optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held monitor disposal of radioactive substances optional
- optional, not held remove contaminants optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assist people in contaminated areas optional
- optional, not held document survey operations optional
- optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
- optional, not held remove contaminated materials optional
- optional, not held assess contamination optional
- optional, not held avoid contamination optional
- optional, not held contamination exposure regulations optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held investigate contamination optional
- optional, not held monitor disposal of radioactive substances optional
- optional, not held perform demarcation optional
- optional, not held remove contaminants optional
26 held skills the radiation protection technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on chemical use reduction skill
- not needed by the target role advise on waste management procedures skill
- not needed by the target role carry out environmental audits skill
- not needed by the target role develop contingency plans for emergencies skill
- not needed by the target role develop recycling programs skill
- not needed by the target role educate on emergency management skill
- not needed by the target role educate on hazardous waste skill
- not needed by the target role educate on recycling regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure appropriate packaging of dangerous goods skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with waste legislative regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure material compliance skill
- not needed by the target role hazardous freight regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role hazards associated with loading dangerous goods knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement environmental protection measures skill
- not needed by the target role import export regulations of dangerous chemicals knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect hazardous freight in accordance with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role issue licences skill
- not needed by the target role monitor legislation developments skill
- not needed by the target role pollution legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role revise certifications for dangerous good transportation skill
- not needed by the target role select hazard control skill
- not needed by the target role train staff on recycling programs skill
- not needed by the target role train staff on waste management skill
- not needed by the target role waste and scrap products knowledge
- not needed by the target role waste management knowledge
- not needed by the target role waste transport legislation knowledge
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn health, safety and hygiene legislation required
- still to learn metrology required
- still to learn nuclear reprocessing required
- optional, not held contamination exposure regulations optional
Other moves recorded from hazardous materials inspector
Common questions about this move
Can a hazardous materials inspector become a radiation protection technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A hazardous materials inspector already covers 39% of what a radiation protection technician is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the radiation protection technician role treats as required.
What skills does a hazardous materials inspector need to become a radiation protection technician?
10 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is calculate exposure to radiation.
How hard is the move from hazardous materials inspector to radiation protection technician?
Its learning distance is 59.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.