Jr. Chem Tech pay; ALARA/Rad Eng. diffs

[JassenB]

Hello all...

Two completely unrelated questions I have come up...

1). Anybody have a rough pay range for entry level rad chem techs that also perform junior HP duties 25-50% of the time?

I've noticed a variety of rad chem jobs that also expect the employee to perform HP duties outside of the main chemistry work areas.

2). What are the real differences in job functions for ALARA Engineers, Rad Engineers, and Health Physicists?

Thanks!
-Jassen

[alphadude]

jr chem techs for utilities get around 14 to 18 or so per hour.

ALARA eng- see those mostly at operating plants- but process facilities use them also.  with process facilities critical arrays are a big deal, not so with utilities.  beta/gamma and very little neutron is the concern with power plants.  what they do- shielding calculations/ engineering load calcs; reduction planning, goal setting, new technology review, job planning etc. report writing.


rad engineers- that can be any thing- ALARA, MARSSIM, FSS, process management, waste management, crit controls, procedure write, effluent, NPDES, report write, graphics, RCRA, CERCLA, and any thing your degree set you up for.

CHP- they sign stuff, dose assessment, reports, program management, validation of programatic goals, setting of program goals, higher tier stuff.

[JassenB]

Thanks for the info, alpha...much appreciated.

Based on your description, is the chain of those three usually a career path, such as ALARA, Rad Eng, then CHP if you have the qualifications?

-Jassen

[Nuclear NASCAR]

I can only speak for our plant.  The HP department has Rad Chem Helpers who do the cleaning & deconning in the RCA.  The techs are divided into HP Ops, Chemistry, Radwaste, & Tech Support.  New techs or Apprentices who have finished their Core training usually wind up in Tech Support or Radwaste depending on their seniority in the department. 

Of course during outages some will go to HP Ops to do surveying & job coverage.  The rest of the time they will spend in their specific department.  Pay starts around $25/hr & tops around $30/hr for a full tech.  Hope this helps.

[SloGlo]

alara eng can be a progression or an end, depending on the site/individual.  some sites used degreed engineers for the position, some use bright hp techs.
rad eng usually is a degreed position.
chp is a qualified acronymn, certified health physist.  it requires the degree initially in order to qualify to sit for the test, and then the passing of said test. 
saying this is a progression is not necessarily an error, anymore than saying rn, mda, and md is a progression.