Meter Reading Training

[Eric_Bartlett]

During the spring 2007 outage season there were several locations across the country where a timed "survey meter reading" exercise was given.  It was brought to Bartlett's attention that some of the contract health physics technicians had difficulty with this exercise. 

In response to this information Bartlett has a "survey meter reading" practice exercise that is now located on the Bartlett Website.    To access the "Practice Exercise" the individuals only need to log onto the Bartlett website, www.bartlettinc.com and click the link located under the "Special Announcements" section. 

[retired nuke]

I hope it was only juniors that had problems with this - I'd hate to be relying on a Sr Tech survey if they can't read a meter.

Thanks for the info, good presentation, educational for them that needs it.

[Limited Quanity]

I agree HouseDad.   But there are those who do the majority of their junior time at the RCA exit or the CTMT SOP and they really don't get in the field till they make 18.1.   You hate to do it to them but you have got to have that RP presence there at those areas.  It can be a difficult transition for some people. 

[Tech A]

Nope it wasnt  just juniors ( at the places that I was given this test) it was mainly seniors and a lot of them have over ten years of experience.  It was embarassing to be associated with the group, they should of strip them of their senior status.  A few "senior" techs failed it more than once.  If a tech cant pass the meter  test shouldn't his or her surveys from previous outages be looked at?  Shouldnt NRC be looking at the results of these tests and where these techs have been?  Does this go on the person's bartlett evaluation or is it just thrown away?     

[nothinbuttrouble]

i was one of those fortunate people that was at  outage where this exam was given to us .  i will say in everyones defense there were senior that have been long time seniors.  some of them had  difficulty passing this exam. they failed the exam.   those of us who didnt make it on the first try were given training to help us get thru this.  the training was very helpful.  i found the time given to do it was not enough time 15 seconds to read the meter write your answer done.  it was presented as a slide show.  for those of us who arent test takers it was alittle to much pressure.  but thank god we made it thru it.  this exam will show up more and more as it was introduced to various sites management while we were there taken it for the first time.  thank you to bartlett for putting something on the website page to help us out.  susquehanna and beaver valley will be given it this fall.  susquehanna is where it originated from by hp supervisor there. mtj

[grantime]

This is probably a good trend.  Every outage it seems that we have issues with dose rates off by factor of 10.  And perhaps not everyone has seen all the meters.  Hopefully all anyone needs is a bit of a refresher-- if they need more than that then perhaps it is time to revisit their quals .  More often than not the problems aren't with the meter reading it is with survey technique... sometimes you've got to put a meter on the pipe to find a contact dose rate

[RNN]

Kudos to Bartlett for doing this for those new folks that need it and those that need a refresher.

At the project I'm at in Idaho we have some really green juniors and I'll have them go take this test.

RNN

[RRhoads]

Like someone said before..the meters that we use are like a carpenters basic "hammers"!
There are no big tricks to using an Ion chamber, teletector type inst. or a
count rate meter.
Bottom line....These are the BASICS!
Seems kinda embarassing that B has to even hav a practice area for this!
And YES i HAVE taken these tests before & PASSED them on the First try!

[retired nuke]

This is probably a good trend.  Every outage it seems that we have issues with dose rates off by factor of 10.  And perhaps not everyone has seen all the meters.  Hopefully all anyone needs is a bit of a refresher-- if they need more than that then perhaps it is time to revisit their quals .  More often than not the problems aren't with the meter reading it is with survey technique... sometimes you've got to put a meter on the pipe to find a contact dose rate

And remember, just because you have the meter on the pipe, doesn't mean it's the source...if it's not the source, it shouldn't be recorded as a contact dose rate...

[RDTroja]

Good presentation... but it just about infuriates me that it is necessary. At the risk of sounding like a certain Dickens character, anyone with the title of HP (junior or senior) that can't read a meter (whether or not they have seen that particular model) needs to decrease the excess HP population by 1. Maybe that sounds a bit harsh, but there is NO excuse for anyone with any experience to fail that test.

I am currently teaching a class of new juniors and I am going to test them before I let them out of the classroom. I bet they all pass without any instruction before the test.

[sealboy]

I believe that RDTroja is full of his self. I hope his class does pass. There are a lot of NEW JRs. in this buisness who don't get the opertunity to take a class and have to do it OJT. I believe that meter training on line that Bartlett put up is benifical for all, Including YOU P*********!

[RDTroja]

I never said it wasn't beneficial I said it was infuriating that it was necessary. I never got any formal training, either... but I learned to read a meter with a few minutes of OJT and made sure I knew how to do it before I put my signature on anything. One thing that this has done for me is to prove the level of ignorance that exists in our business. Thank you for making it even clearer.

[RRhoads]

"I believe that RDTroja is full of his self. I hope his class does pass. There are a lot of NEW JRs. in this buisness who don't get the opertunity to take a class and have to do it OJT. I believe that meter training on line that Bartlett put up is benifical for all, Including YOU P*********!

This is BS!

Sealbeater...learn the trade....then you can have an opinion!
It is embarassing that Sr. technicians have to have this class because they can't read the damn tool of their trade!
If you can't do the job....get out!
Bottom line!!!!!

[Laning]

[ those of us who didnt make it on the first try were given training to help us get thru this.  the training was very helpful.  i found the time given to do it was not enough time 15 seconds to read the meter write your answer done.  it was presented as a slide show.  for those of us who arent test takers it was alittle to much pressure.  but thank god we made it thru it.]

HUH?? I can't believe I'm reading this. Too much pressure...to read numbers off a meter? I'm sorry, but that cannot be the right answer. I can almost understand messing up a half-life question as a senior...but READING THE RIGHT NUMBER OFF A METER? If RDTROJA is full of himself, he ain't alone. Do yourself a favor. Dont rely on god to get you through the next test. Take a little pride in what you do.

[alphadude]

EVERY and I do mean every Sr and Jr I checked on failed the scan rate.  Its just a matter of practice- no big deal... I though meter reading was part of basic enginering operations training, sig. digits, reading between the lines etc. 

[LaFeet]

 Simple statement of facts...  If you can't read the meter correctly, you should not get the senior pay.

Whether you have had formal training or learned OJT... you have to be able to do the job that you were hired for.  That includes being able to document surveys, pass a meter exam and pass the NUF.

I am all for training someone how to do the job properly..... but a senior hired should be a person that is able to sdo the job correctly.

As for the level of juniors out there, there is a huge group of them just waiting to prove themselves as a competent (if not outstanding) senoir.  And I am here to help them if they but ask.

[nothinbuttrouble]

okay maybe it was the poor wording. regardless of what i said i do take pride in my job.  it was only my opinion noone else had to like it.  sorry the rest us cant be perfect like the rest of the seniors out there.  believe me when i said these  senior that did fail were and have been seniors for a very long time.  the seniors that had failed i would say knew there stuff and very knowledgeable.  you would of been surprised to see who they were. but enough said      i took this as a learning experience and i will take something away from it.  i will say it once again thank you to bartlett for putting the study material on there.   

[Chimera]

For the most part, I agree with the sentiments posted in this thread.  I agree that the training is a good and necessary thing, but I also agree that Senior Techs should have no problems reading meters - even unfamiliar ones.

That being said, I also know that I have been on the wrong scale without realizing it at the time.  I also have forgotten that some meters have two probes - the one in your hand and the one inside the case for the highest range.  I have seen Techs that I have an immense amount of respect for (and trust in) misread a dual-scale meter on occasion.  Based on my 30+ years of experience, I can't imagine that any of us haven't misread a meter (see the above examples) at one time or other.

Perhaps I'm just a fallable old guy, but I'll take any refresher the employer or client wants to push my way (while always reserving the right to complain, of course).

[stownsend]

I don't see this test as a problem for Seniors. > 1 year Juniors should have no problems. If they did they should be asking for more help than who wants to play cards on break.Example # 9 and #12 are poor pictures and I can see missing them by one digit. Any training aid is not a bad thing. We have seen all types of meters in our days and we have seen people make mistakes with them. The best advise is if your not sure, don't pretend you know it all. I know this doesn't help when taking a test but I think Bartlett is doing the right thing and helping people and we all should be tolerant to people who need help more than others.  I'm constandly coaching techs and thats why I enjoy staying in the field after all this time. You can keep the management meetings all to yourself.

[Mike McFarlin]

There is no excuse for not being able to properly read a meter if you are a Jr or Sr. If we are at a point where we need classes to read meters, maybe we should re-evalute this whole training scenario. Maybe more OJT.

[alphadude]

knowing and reading different makes and models is a whole nuther issue.. each person should be given basic operations of instrument types  and makes... there are no industry standard meters anymore.. (Ro2, tele, rm14).  just because u can drive a car dont mean u can drive a bus

[Cathy]

I have to honestly say there have been a couple of times I had a problem reading a meter (I knew how to read it). I can think of several times trying to read a teletector in a dark drywell with sweat pouring in my eyes. Invariably it is the famous "self-retracting" one. You know the one, the hotter it is and the higher the dose rate, is directly proportional to how fast it retracts while you are trying to read it. Who made those darn numbers so small anyway!

[Laning]

I'm curious to know what the meter reading test consisted of. How many displays are we talking about? What was the pass/fail criteria? One and done, 90%, 80%,??  There are 18 displays presented in the Bartlett study session, 5 of which are digital readouts with no thought necessary. You could miss as many as 3 and still get an 83%.

Surely everyone whose ever worked as an HP Technician has made mistakes. In the drywell, in the dark, in a respirator is one thing. Sitting in a well lit air conditioned classroom with a cup of coffee and not being able to multiply by 10 or 100 is quite different. 

If the test consisted of 4 or 5 displays and you missed one...I take back everything. Maybe you had a bad day. But if you had 15-20 opportunities including digital displays and you failed...thats just ugly.

Might as well bring in the monkeys.

[JsonD13]

I may just be a nubly navy guy, but I passed it on the first try...

Just to pour some salt on  ;-)

[nothinbuttrouble]

20 questions for seniors need 80%  juniors 15 questions didnt have to pass or take it i believe.

just because the slides on the study material are clear to see.  it isnt the case when given the slides for test purposes.  im not making any excuses but the slide presentation for bartlett study material was way more better than the ones given for the test.  just my two cents again.