Personnel Certification
As of February 1, 2009, the personnel certification role of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has changed from the direct administration of certification examinations to the regulatory oversight of certification examinations set by licensees.
The Commission decision emphasizes the responsibility of licensees for the safe operation of their nuclear power plants (NPPs) and consequently requires licensees to be directly responsible for the training and testing of their workers to ensure they are fully qualified to carry out their duties.
The CNSC’s regulatory oversight involves monitoring, verifying and enforcing licensee compliance with regulatory requirements for all phases of certification training and examinations. The CNSC’s oversight of licensee programs and processes ensures that each key safety-related position is staffed by fully qualified personnel.
Personnel Certification Regulatory Requirements:
CNSC staff, in coordination with licensees, worked over five years to establish and implement this regulatory change. The following deliverables were achieved:
- a series of regulatory documents through stakeholder consultation
- evaluation of licensee certification training programs to verify a Systematic Approach to Training (SAT)
- evaluation of licensee certification examination procedures to verify that examinations are administered equitably and consistently
- evaluation of licensee trainers and examiners to verify they are qualified to accurately assess the complex knowledge and skills of NPP workers
- an effective and risk-informed compliance strategy for real-time inspection of examinations