Fundamentals of Nuclear Safety

Online | Face-to-face | In-company

Overview

This interactive course provides a comprehensive understanding of safety in the nuclear industry from engineering, management, operational, regulatory and theoretical perspectives. It makes extensive use of real-life nuclear and high hazard industry case studies,  and links the various stages in safety analysis with the requirements of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

The course focuses primarily on the requirements of UK-based operations. It can be customised for in-company delivery to address the requirements of customers working outside the UK. 

There will be an assessment at the end of the course. Following successful completion, you will receive an IChemE pass certificate in the Fundamentals of Nuclear Safety.

Learning outcomes

The course will help you to understand: 

• the basic science and engineering principles underlying the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear reactors
• the hazards of the nuclear industry and how the risks can be controlled
• the key factors influencing the basis for nuclear safety
• the key nuclear safety requirements at each stage in the life cycle of a nuclear plant from conceptual design through to operation, maintenance and modification
• the importance of safety culture and the consequences of poor nuclear safety
• the ways in which your work depends on the knowledge and expertise of others (ie interdependency and the need for overall organisational nuclear safety management competence) and how to acquire further knowledge and understanding of nuclear safety management
• the need to understand the safety case and how it should be the basis of decisions
• the importance of authority and accountability
• the metrics needed to demonstrate compliance
• the regulatory environment in which you operate.

Who will benefit

• Early-career professionals in the nuclear industry
• More experienced practitioners looking for a refresher
• Engineers and scientists in other disciplines wishing to enter the nuclear industry

Course outline

• The importance of safety management
• Model for process safety management
• Safety culture
• Regulatory framework
• Basic reactor and fuel cycle technology.
• Nuclear hazards
• Nuclear safety case purpose, content and role
• Hazard identification
• Risk assessment and cost benefit analysis
• Design basis accidents and operating rules
• Severe accident analysis and emergency response
• Non-nuclear hazards and basic science
• Safety assessment principles
• Engineering safely including inherent and design safety
• Human factors
• Management systems
• Operations
• Management of change
• Performance measures and learning from accidents
• Maintenance and asset integrity
• Course review
• Multi-stage case study
• Assessment

Course delivery

Face-to-face.

Dates & location

• 16–20 June 2025, Rugby, UK

Not available then or looking for an alternative course delivery? View more dates.

Fees 

• IChemE member: £2,050 + VAT
• Non-member: £2,400 + VAT

More than one person to train?

Multi-place discounts

Discounts are available to companies booking more than one place. Bookings must be made at the same time to receive the discount.

• 2 places – 10% discount
• 3 places –15% discount
• 4 or more places – 20% discount

In-company training

This course can be delivered to in-house teams, either on-site or online. This could be a cost-effective option if you have several people requiring the training. Content can be tailored to your specific requirements. Request a quotation.

Attendance certificate and CPD hours

An e-certificate will be issued at the end of the course to confirm attendance and CPD hours logged. Please note that you must attend all modules to receive the certificate. 

CPD hours should be used as an approximate guide and will vary depending on the preferred approach of the delegate and to what extent additional learning is completed.