Initial Training and Qualification

DOE-HDBK-1119-99

3. INITIAL TRAINING AND QUALIFICATION

An initial-training program should be established to develop and enhance the skills,

knowledge, and abilities of shift supervisor trainees at DOE reactor and non-reactor nuclear

facilities to perform their job assignments. The program should consist of a combination of

classroom-type and on-the-job training, and should include simulator and laboratory training

(for those facilities that have a simulator or laboratory facilities), as it applies to the shift

supervisor position.

The facility manager, the facility manager's staff, senior managers, selected personnel (e.g.,

top-performing shift supervisors), and training facility staff should conduct training and

mentoring sessions with shift supervisor trainees to discuss and promote areas that include

commitment to high standards of performance and nuclear safety. Some portions of initial

training program may also be accomplished through on-the-job interaction with other

appropriate departments within the nuclear organization or on-shift as a shift supervisor under

instruction. Training should be conducted, evaluated, and documented through the use of

qualification guides, discussion outlines, or checklists.

Standards of excellence throughout the organization are stressed during training. The role of

the shift supervisor as a member of the management team responsible for maintaining

technically correct facility operations, for prudent risk management, and for maintaining a

professional environment should also be stressed. Management expectations of shift

supervisor performance should be provided while positive role models are presented to foster

development of the candidate.

Performance evaluations of new shift supervisors should be conducted by operations

management prior to independent assignment as a shift supervisor. These evaluations should

include assessments of the skills of the candidate in (but not limited to) the following areas:

C analytical, diagnostic, and problem-solving abilities

C planning and managing evolutions

C maintaining oversight and awareness of personnel actions in mitigating abnormal and

emergency situations (while tending to the duties of the emergency director)

C leadership and management of the operating organization

C conservatism demonstrated when faced with uncertainty or decisions that could jeopardize

the safety of the facility or have the potential to exceed design bases

C team building, coaching, and critiquing performance

3.1

Qualification

Qualification for shift supervisors should be documented by the responsible manager's written

endorsement of the satisfactory completion of initial training and qualification requirements.