The objective of this study is to assess the availability of qualified personnel to conduct NDE tasks in nuclear power plants, through the year 2010.The study was initiated in response to the concern of the nuclear power industry about the future availability of the NDE workforce--that there will be a gap between the quantity of qualified personnel required for in-service inspections and the workforce available to meet these requirements. The problem of predicting the nature and size of any gap is complicated by a number of factors that might operate to either increase or decrease this gap. Examples include changes in policies and procedures relative to inspection intervals, inspection requirements, and personnel qualification and certification requirements. The seriousness to the industry of this potential gap, together with complexities involved in making workforce availability projections, indicated the need for conducting a systematic study in time to identify and implement needed interventions.
Publication Source: 2nd International Conference on NDE in Relation to Structural Integrity for Nuclear and Pressurized Components, May 24-26, 2000, New Orleans, Louisiana USA. Publisher: EPRI - [Homepage]
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