From October 8-12, 2023, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (USNRC) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted a workshop on “Research and Test Reactor Inspections – Health Physics” in Amman, Jordan. The workshop was hosted by the Jordanian Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC). The audience included nuclear regulators from several directorates associated with inspection and licensing. This workshop was a follow-up to a previous virtual workshop held in early 2023 for EMRC on general inspection considerations.
IRDP instructors, Mr. Al Adams, and Dr. Steve Reese, provided an overview of the USNRC’s approach to inspections at a typical Research and Test (RTR) reactor, with emphasis on radiation protection. In addition, participants were involved with a tour of the Jordanian Research and Training Reactor areas involved with sample handling and hot cell utilization.
The participants were highly engaged throughout the week and continued to enthusiastically contribute to the discussion with questions relevant to their job responsibilities and country-specific regulatory processes. Overall, the IRDP team and participants found the workshop to be extremely informative and the discussions to be valuable and insightful.