Q1What kind of work do you currently do?

I am currently responsible for the disposal of waste material generated by plants that are in operation and analysis related to the disposal of waste material from dismantled plants that have been decommissioned.
When disposing of waste material, levels of radiation, something that affects the external environment, must be reduced to a level less than that which people are exposed to in nature. My work involves performing analysis and calculations concerning how deep material is to be buried and how thick the waste containers must be and designing the radiation shields.

Q2What have you found challenging since joining SKS?

In my previous job a lot of our work was done individually so when I came to SKS I struggled with how to share information within a team setting. Everyone was friendly so I had no problem talking with them but because everyone was working in their own field or area it was sometimes confusing as to who was doing what and what information had already been shared with whom. In response, we created a system whereby everyone could share common mistakes, problems and minor incidents, etc., creating a framework that enabled us all to understand who was doing what and share work progress. So far we haven't had any problems so I feel like our system is working.

Q3Are there any new skills you would like to acquire in the future?

Our work in the analytical department involves working with plans and figures based on the radiation doses measured by the onsite teams therefore we have little opportunity to see the real thing. I would like to broaden the scope of things I can do in the future. One specific thing I have done is accompany an onsite team on my own request to an onsite measurement in order to learn more about the technology used to measure radiation doses. I am also currently studying to acquire qualifications in relation to the handling of radiation. I decided to do this so that I could understand more about the theory behind how the results generated by the analytic codes were being calculated.