''Radiation Safety Training for Workers'' (ANSI 13.36) specifies a process for developing and implementing radiation safety training using performance-based concepts. In general, radiation safety training includes radiological safety policies, fundamental radiological controls, and the technical functions of specific facilities. Actual training, however, can vary significantly from one site to another, depending on the requirements and potential risks associated with the specific work involved. Performance-based training focuses on the instruction and practices required to develop job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities, rather than on simply prescribing training content and objectives. The Health Physics Society Standards Committee (HPSSC) working group recommended performance-based training, as opposed to a broad training program with prescribed performance objectives, for two main reasons: (1) the wide range of radiological workers to be trained and (2) the concern that a prescriptive program (i.e., 40 hours of training) could be misapplied. In addition, the working group preferred that the scope and depth of training be based on specific hazards and the magnitude of risk posed by those hazards. The group also proposed that passing scores be based on specified goals and the characteristics of test questions used. For instance, where passing scores are established (e.g., multiple-choice exams), they should be based on an analysis of the test questions rather than simply an arbitrary passing score. This standard is not intended to replace regulatory or contractual training requirements that establish minimum objectives, topics, class duration, or passing scores. Nor does it address radiation safety training received as part of an academic program of study. Such individuals would still require site-specific and on-the-job training for certain tasks.
