Classification of Radiation Work in Korean Nuclear Power Plants

Classification of Radiation Work in Korean Nuclear Power Plants

The classification of the radiation work performed in Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs)must be understood to provide workers with more comprehensive radiation protection. This study usedannual reports on occupational exposure to investigate and analyze the similarities and differences inthe radiation work performed in Korean NPPs with pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and pressurizedheavy water reactors (PHWRs). The results showed that the radiation work performed in Korean NPPscould be classified into three categories. Category 1 contains work at the highest level. This work can bedivided into individual tasks belonging to Category 2, which enables the evaluation of the radiation doseduring the work. The work in Category 2 consists of tasks from Category 3, which contains basic detailedtasks that are not further subdivided. This study emphasized the need for the systematic managementof the radiation work performed in both Korean PWRs and PHWRs, such as the tasks in Category 3,which are similar, with similar working conditions, for PWRs and PHWRs. It also suggested the needto establish a list of radiation work for decommissioning because Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1 arecurrently in permanent shutdown and preparations are being made for their decommissioning.

The classification of the radiation work performed in Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs)must be understood to provide workers with more comprehensive radiation protection. This study usedannual reports on occupational exposure to investigate and analyze the similarities and differences inthe radiation work performed in Korean NPPs with pressurized water reactors (PWRs) and pressurizedheavy water reactors (PHWRs). The results showed that the radiation work performed in Korean NPPscould be classified into three categories. Category 1 contains work at the highest level. This work can bedivided into individual tasks belonging to Category 2, which enables the evaluation of the radiation doseduring the work. The work in Category 2 consists of tasks from Category 3, which contains basic detailedtasks that are not further subdivided. This study emphasized the need for the systematic managementof the radiation work performed in both Korean PWRs and PHWRs, such as the tasks in Category 3,which are similar, with similar working conditions, for PWRs and PHWRs. It also suggested the needto establish a list of radiation work for decommissioning because Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1 arecurrently in permanent shutdown and preparations are being made for their decommissioning.