CompGeo Nuclear Power Reactor Operators Salary Survey Benchmark Job Description and Competencies - Utilities Occupation Group

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Summary Job Description

Tasks

Control and maintain auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, fans, compressors, condensers, feedwater heaters, filters, and chlorinators, that supply water, fuel, lubricants, air, and auxiliary power for turbines, generators, boilers, and other power-generating plant facilities.

Adjust controls to position rod and to regulate flux level, reactor period, coolant temperature, and rate of power flow, following standard procedures.

Respond to system or unit abnormalities, diagnosing the cause, and recommending or taking corrective action.

Monitor all systems for normal running conditions, performing activities such as checking gauges to assess output or assess the effects of generator loading on other equipment.

Implement operational procedures such as those controlling start-up and shut-down activities.

Note malfunctions of equipment, instruments, or controls, and report these conditions to supervisors.

Monitor and operate boilers, turbines, wells, and auxiliary power plant equipment.

Dispatch orders and instructions to personnel through radiotelephone or intercommunication systems to coordinate auxiliary equipment operation.

Record operating data, such as the results of surveillance tests.

Participate in nuclear fuel element handling activities, such as preparation, transfer, loading, and unloading.

Conduct inspections and operations outside of control rooms as necessary.

Direct reactor operators in emergency situations, in accordance with emergency operating procedures.

Authorize maintenance activities on units and changes in equipment and system operational status.

Auxiliary equipment operators work throughout a power plant, operating and monitoring valves, switches, and gauges.

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Important Knowledge Competencies

Competency Description

Physics

Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Mathematics

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Engineering and Technology

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Public Safety and Security

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Chemistry

Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

English Language

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Education and Training

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Computers and Electronics

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Important Skill Competencies

Competency Description

Operation Monitoring

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

Operation and Control

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Complex Problem Solving

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Judgment and Decision Making

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Time Management

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Active Learning

Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Quality Control Analysis

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Learning Strategies

Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Mathematics

Using mathematics to solve problems.

Instructing

Teaching others how to do something.

Troubleshooting

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Persuasion

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Negotiation

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Service Orientation

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Systems Analysis

Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.

Management of Personnel Resources

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Important Ability Competencies

Competency Description

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Inductive Reasoning

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Perceptual Speed

The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Information Ordering

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Selective Attention

The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Speech Clarity

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Category Flexibility

The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

Time Sharing

The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).

Speech Recognition

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Flexibility of Closure

The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

Mathematical Reasoning

The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Arm-Hand Steadiness

The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.

Finger Dexterity

The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.

Far Vision

The ability to see details at a distance.

Visual Color Discrimination

The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.

Auditory Attention

The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.

Control Precision

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Number Facility

The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.

Visualization

The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

Reaction Time

The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.

Fluency of Ideas

The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Originality

The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

Memorization

The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

Hearing Sensitivity

The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Tools/Technology Example

Product Category

Data logging software

Data base user interface and query software

Microsoft Access

Data base user interface and query software

Microsoft Excel

Spreadsheet software

Plant information data entry software

Data base user interface and query software

Air compressors

Air monitoring equipment

Air samplers or collectors

Air purifying respirators

Respirators

Air sample collection equipment

Air samplers or collectors

Area gamma monitors

Gamma counters

Automatic control systems

Generator control or protection panels

Control rod drives

Nuclear reactor control rod systems

Desktop computers

Fuel handling systems

Nuclear fuel rod

Generator control panels

Generator control or protection panels

Leak detection equipment

Leak testing equipment

Level transmitters

Level sensors or transmitters

Master-slave manipulators

Hot cell remote handling equipment

Nuclear plant hazard alarm systems

Nuclear fuel element failure detection systems

Nuclear reactor control rod operation systems

Nuclear reactor control rod systems

Personal computers

Pipe camera inspection systems

Digital camcorders or video cameras

Pocket dosimeters

Dosimeters

Portable two way radios

Two way radios

Portal monitors

Radiation detectors

Power plant turbine control panels

Gas turbine control panels

Protective shoe covers

Footwear covers

Radiation monitoring instruments

Dosimeters

Radiation survey meters

Radiation detectors

Safety coveralls

Protective coveralls

Safety gloves

Protective gloves

Seismic monitoring instruments

Nuclear reactor earthquake instrumentation

Spent fuel handling machines

Radioactive waste disposal systems

Ventilation systems

Air exhausters

Video borescopes

Borescope inspection equipment

Water conductivity testers

Conductivity meters

Water deionization equipment

Ion exchange equipment

Water recirculation pumps

Water pumps

Water samplers

Water softeners

Water softening accessories

pH testers

pH meters

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Prerequisite Qualification Category

Education and Experience Level

Required Level of Education

High School Diploma (or GED or High School Equivalence Certificate)

On-Site or In-Plant Training

Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training

Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

On-the-Job Training

Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Alternate Job Title(s)

Control Room Operator

Control Room Supervisor

Licensed Nuclear Control Room Operator

Licensed Reactor Operator

Non-Licensed Operator (NLO)

Nuclear Control Operator

Nuclear Control Room Non-Licensed Operator

Nuclear Control Room Operator

Nuclear Operator

Nuclear Plant Equipment Operator

Nuclear Plant Operator (NPO)

Nuclear Power Plant Process Control Worker

Nuclear Power Reactor Operator

Nuclear Reactor Operator

Nuclear Reactor Unlicensed Operator

Nuclear Station Operating Engineer

Nuclear Station Operator (NSO)

Nuclear Supervising Operator (NSO)

Nuclear Unit Operator

Power Reactor Operator

Reactor Operator (RO)

Unit Reactor Operator

Waste Control Operator

CompGeo Occupation Group: Utilities

Job Family: Power Plant

Benchmark Title: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

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CompGeo Salary Survey Benchmark Job Summary and Competencies

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

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