NLO Job Duties

[aturner]

Hey All,
     
     So I've made it past the first few steps to possibly being an NLO.  I still have the interview to go, but I wanted to jump ahead and get an idea of the job duties for an NLO.  I've read the generic job description on various websites, but I'd like to get a description from those actually doing the work.  What's the typical day?  What's been the easiest day? hardest day? longest day?


Give me what you got and what you think about the job itself.  TVA is preferred but I'd like to hear from anyone/everyone on this. 

Thanks in advance!!


Adam

[Rad Sponge]

I'm not an NLO but I work with them everyday to one extent or the other.

Best I can describe is this:

They are divided into Auxilliary Building Watches (Rx sys support) and Turbine Building Watches (Secondary Systems) and other watches to look after all the systems elsewhere.

They take log readings, tour, perform valve line ups and tagouts, and operate equipment not directly controlled by Control Room Operators.

Its a hot and sweaty job (110-120 plus degree environments during the summer in the turbine building).

Like the Navy there is a qual program to go from a new guy to a principle plant operator and eventually classing up for licensing class after a few years.

That is what I have noticed so far and in summary: hot, sweaty, long hours.

Glad I am a Chem Tech, but much respect to the the operators.

[aturner]

Thank You JMK!  Sounds like they earn their paycheck. 

Looking forward to hearing more about it. 
I believe the holiday may have people doing other things however!!

 

[illegalsmile]

I did 3 yrs as a NLO (they called us AO's - Aux Operators). The job was pretty straight forward....,monitor the pumps, filters and other equipment that didn't directly effect reactor power, do switching/tagging and line-up changes, do rad waste ops and be available for whatever the Control Rm needed you for. We had about 4 hrs of work/day and the rest of the time was slack.

[Mr Yada]

I'm an SRO at Salem, supervising NLOs for the past 20 years. The old 10, 80, 10 rule is in effect, on this, as any job. 10% put all they have into the job enjoy it and add huge value, 80% do the job, enjoy it most of the time, and are the bread and butter of any operating shift (eyes and ears of the control room), 10% bad attitudes, think they have all the answers, do the absolute bare minimum, spend most of thier time trying to convince anyone who'll listen "how the man has it out for you", most of us wouldn't want them changing the oil in our cars.
The job is one of minimal supervision, NLOs are independant workers. For the most part they get to tour the plant looking for abnormal conditions, implement procedures, perform surveillances, think and determine what's important enough to report to the control room staff. Over the years I've learned that dropping what I'm doing, paying close attention to what's being said when I'm talking to any NLO, and most importantly doing my level best to act on what's been said, keeps me ahead of the issues and show's the NLOs thier issues are really the plant's issues. NLOs know alot more about plant operations than they get credit for.
 At Salem (union plant) there are off-shift positions for working in the "fix it now team, outage preps, and other special projects that allow the NLOs to get a broader prospective of plant operation.
 NLOs do work in hot and cold environments and there are dirty jobs but in balance a unique and challenging job. The social aspects of working on a shift, with it's attendant comradare is also a plus. It does take discipline (and an understanding family) to work rotating shifts and not all people are made to be shift workers.
 What was the question?

[Mr Yada]

My wife read (some of) my last post and told me people don't like to read long posts. She tells me what I should have said was: Job good, pay good, sleep lots.

[aturner]

I may be in the minority, but I like to get all the information I can get.  Especially for getting a description on what I may want to be my career.   The more details, the more better! 

Thank You!!

[hamsamich]

that's the way it was at Brunswick in 00 also.  the one thing that is changing:  most plants are hiring NLOs who want to get licenses, so NLO only is hard to find.  some people don't want to get lic. and just be NLO; it is hard to do that unless you either front like you want to get a lic. or find a plant that has more respect for the NLO position as an important job as an important place for people that are good at it and want to do it long-term.  not knocking it, just the facts.  plants are stuck between having good NLOs and having enough ROs + SROs to run the plant.

[ChiefRocscooter]

How do the pay vs responsibilities of NLO stackup to RO/SRO.  I know some jobs where you get big bump in responsibilities with litle bump in pay, is this one?

Rob

[Fermi2]

I think the wave of the future will be to require guys to sign contracts that say eventually they'll go up for a license. I've heard at some facilities it's a condition of employment.

Mike

[Fermi2]

Since I've had a license I've never had a NLO make more money than me in any one year. The only one who came close had to work about 66% more hours than I did and had to do so in some difficult environments.

I've had guys come up to me on those rare cases when they hit the OT schedule just right and tell me "Hey I'm making more per hour than you are today!!" I say fine, find the most difficult excruciating job imaginable and send them on it. Then I go back to the Air Conditioning.

As for responsibility, I've never felt all that stressed by any job I've ever done in this industry. I figure I'm more than capable and so far in 22 years (16 commercial) nothing has proven me wrong.

Hey Chief, the name that comes as your email name got my in trouble with Mrs. Mike!

Mike

[ChiefRocscooter]

Funny but I can't help but think of carrer NLO's as the same as 20 yr 1st class in Navy.  I have seen many who did not "want" to make Chief, knew it was more work and they did not want to make sacrifices to check the right boxes to make it.

(not trying to insult anyone, just drawing a intresting corallary, I think)

Rob

[aturner]

I think the wave of the future will be to require guys to sign contracts that say eventually they'll go up for a license. I've heard at some facilities it's a condition of employment.

If this becomes the future, how do you see this affecting the number of applicants for NLO positions?  Are there alot of NLO workers satisfied with the money and do not want to incur any added responsibility??

[hamsamich]

at brunswick some more senior NLOs were making more per hour than newer ROs.  when one of the big-wigs was told about this in a monthly get together, he bumped all ROs to just above what the top NLO was making.  I thought it was a little bit of a slap in the face, and it has to do with what CheifRocoScooter is asking.  The big picture was lost, ROs are in the fishbowl and required to maintain a lic. and the responsibility went way up, but not the pay.  And many of those ROs took a signifigant pay cut to get thru lic. class because of loss of OT, even though some of them were studying enough to give them 30 hours of OT at times.   (70 hour workweek for some) ROs should have been making quite a bit more per hour than NLOs.  That was in 98, but I bet there are places that still don't pay the ROs and the SROs right, IMHO.  But some of those ROs that were making less than NLOs were also getting lic. pay, which may have put them above the NLOs overall for the year, I don't know. 

i never went to lic. class.  alot of it had to do with not wanting to go thru 1.5 years of craziness for less money (lic. class), then deal with lower pay as an RO.  I guess it's all an opinion but for what RO and SRO does and what the pay is, not worth it to me for most plants payrates.

i agree, RO/SRO may be a little like making chief, but also very different.  look close while you are an NLO and be honest with yourself about whether or not you want to do that job for that amount of money.  but if you want to move up it is one of the only ways, although my buddy got an MBA and moved WAY up to finance director after being an NLO at Salem.

[ChiefRocscooter]

Yes I see your point. Like I said not trying to be insulting some people do not want the extra work for the pay.  I have met many a man who was happy with his station/place in life and you could not convince him otherwise.  I would never presume that what I want is worth more than what another values.  Hey who am I to argue I am not there yet!!! (but will be soon, PMA baby) I can't see my self not want to go SRO but alas we shall see.
(Oh yea some of the 20 firsts were bset techs and leaders of work centers I have seen, they were in thier comfort zone were happy to stay)

Rob

[Fermi2]

I don't see a problem with career NLOs, good NLOs are the lifeblood and the heart of any well run nuke plant.

Are the ROs at Brunswick Union?

Mike

[hamsamich]

No they weren't while I was there 97-00

[hamsamich]

hey, go for it.  it is worth the money for people that want to be there.  i just don't understand why the desire, but that is fully a personal choice.  my best friend is a shift manager at a nuc plant.

[Fermi2]

No they weren't while I was there 97-00

How was he able to adjust the RO pay outside the normal union contract?

By the way, anyone who turns down an NLO job must be stoned. Its a GREAT job!

Mike

[Trinian23]

By the way, anyone who turns down an NLO job must be stoned. Its a GREAT job!

Yup, it is. It is very easy if you are willing to put in the work. I will admit there have been times where I have been payed a dollar a minute to wash dishes because I was called in to fill a fire brigade position and since it was summer readiness, there was no work scheduled. At other times it is extremely busy.

Mr. ROC, I caution comparing the career NLO's to 20 year firsts though, almost every single NLO at my plant is a career NLO (aging workforce), and knows more about the various nuances of the plant then many of the RO's and the SRO's, and when they speak about problems, the SRO's listen...very attentively... whereas in the Navy, you may have taken a 20 year first class' opinion with a grain of salt. These guys actually ended up training most of the SRO's when they were NLO's.

I also don't see antyhing wrong with the career NLO. They will always be the muscle and backbone of any good operating nuke plant, they are the eyes, the ears (and yes, even the nose) of the control room. They typically identify more issues that get entered into the pants CAP process then any other job. Without them, the control room is blind, deaf, and can't smell.

I also 100% agree with with the 10, 80, 10 rule mentioned earlier. But I suspect that exists no matter where you work.

Bill

[ChiefRocscooter]

Yes I agree with your caution in general, especially if your only exposure is to nuke 20 yrs 1st, but I have met many MM,BT,EM 20yr 1st who had the ear of Chief to Cheng when they spoke about equipment or repairs.  I knew 1 BT1 (who had caustic personality and would not make Chief becuase of it) who the Boiler and bolier controls so well that the new constriction yardbirds asked him for input when they were conducting initial adjustment.
I think we are all saying one thing alike, Any operator who ignores the pro's around him is foolish!

Rob     

[ChiefRocscooter]

What about
IS there between being NLO in union plant vs non-union?  So far as I have seen on site unoins make it hard for hot running NLO to move up (I am sure some union person will give different perspective)

other than that I do not think I have seen much else on it

Rob

[Fermi2]

I worked at a plant with Union NLOs and Non Union ROs.
I'm working at a plant with Union NLOs and ROs.

So far as I can see there isn't that much difference on the AVERAGE between the time it took to go from NLO to RO. Granted a hot runner might be held back a tad bit. At my former plant I was an NLO just over two years when I was selected for RO Training, heck I wasn't even at the top of the Union pay scale for NLOs yet. If the NLOs are Union and the ROs are non union items like seniority in the union have nothing to do with the selection to RO. In the old days there were horror stories about operators waiting 15 years just for a shot to license because senior guys in maintenance could bump junior guys in ops when it came time for license class. From what I know that's a thing of the past, at least at most plants.

Mike

[hamsamich]

brunswick wasn't union.  i didn't like working at Salem as a chem-tech near as much as I liked working at brunswick as an operator.  alot of it had to do with the union and alot of it had to do with Salem in general.  for instance, a couple of guys who should've been fired weren't (one was eventually after deserving it for years), and other people had to do thier jobs and deal with crap for them.  a bunch of other stuff too.  anyway, I think Unions are nesc. but I'd rather work at a plant without one.

[flamatrix99]

I m currently an NLO at a union plant. I was very leary of being in a union because before my return to nuclear power I never saw a union. The 10-80-10 rule is very true. There are some guys that try and fight the company on every issue they can. Some have nothing else going for them so seniority is everything to them. In our case though FPL throws the contract out the window and does whatever they want. FPL management is another issue. There is a big rift between the Unit Supervisors (line management) and the union. For the most part they will not even walk in the operations breakroom because they know they will catch hell. It is a double edged sword. I have seen the union save a good guy's job and I have seen guys use the unon processes just to thier advantage.