NS RWM6 study plan
NS RWM6 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Regulatory Framework and Statutory Authority
Map the full regulatory hierarchy from statute to licence condition, and state in writing which instrument governs each of five common waste-management decisions.
Explain the roles and limits of the regulator's powers (licensing, inspection, enforcement, exemption) using your own worked examples.
Distinguish licence conditions, statutory guidance, and non-statutory guidance, and classify ten sample obligations accordingly.
Draft a one-page personal glossary of at least 25 regulatory terms with your own definitions.
Your checkpoint
A one-page regulatory hierarchy diagram plus a 300-word written note explaining which instrument controls each of five decisions.
Regulatory Framework and Statutory Authority & Radioactive Waste Classification and Characterization
Apply the waste classification scheme to at least 15 worked examples, justifying each category assignment with the governing criteria.
Differentiate the classification criteria (activity, half-life, heat output, radionuclide content) and identify which one is decisive in each example.
List the data fields required to characterise a waste package and explain why each field exists.
Identify the exemption and clearance routes that apply to low-activity material and describe the conditions attached to each.
Your checkpoint
A classification worksheet covering 15 waste streams with category, decisive criterion, and one-sentence justification each.
Radiation Protection Principles and Dose Limits
State the occupational and public dose limits from memory and explain the difference between a limit, a constraint, and a reference level.
Compute committed effective dose from a given intake using dose coefficients, showing unit handling step by step.
Explain the three protection principles and apply them to a real waste-handling task to justify a chosen control.
Describe how monitoring data are used to demonstrate compliance with dose constraints, including the role of dose assessment models.
Your checkpoint
Three fully worked dose-calculation problems (external, inhalation, ingestion) with units shown at every step and a compliance conclusion.
Waste Handling, Treatment, and Conditioning
Classify treatment options by purpose (volume reduction, hazard reduction, immobilisation) and match each to suitable waste types.
Explain the chemistry and limitations of the main immobilisation matrices and when each is inappropriate.
Outline the acceptance criteria a conditioned package must meet for storage and disposal, and test three hypothetical packages against them.
Describe the safety case for a conditioning process, including criticality, heat, and gas-generation considerations.
Your checkpoint
A treatment-selection matrix matching eight waste types to a preferred treatment route with a stated rationale and one rejected alternative.
Storage and Disposal Facility Operations
Compare near-surface and geological disposal concepts on containment strategy, timescales, and institutional control.
Explain the engineered barrier system and the function of each barrier in a safety case.
Describe the operational controls at a storage or disposal facility: inventory control, package inspection, and criticality management.
Analyse the closure and post-closure monitoring obligations and who bears them.
Your checkpoint
A two-page comparative summary of two disposal concepts with a barrier-function table and a 200-word critical appraisal.
Environmental Monitoring and Effluent Control
Distinguish source monitoring, environmental monitoring, and effluent monitoring by purpose and sensitivity.
Design a monitoring programme for a given facility, specifying media, frequency, and detection limits.
Interpret a set of effluent and environmental results against authorised limits and explain the actions triggered by an exceedance.
Explain how background, detection limits, and sampling uncertainty affect the interpretation of results.
Your checkpoint
A monitoring programme design for one facility, including a table of media, frequency, and limits, plus a written interpretation of three sample results.
Transport of Radioactive Material
Classify a consignment under the transport regulations and determine the applicable package type from its activity and form.
List the required package markings, labels, and transport documents for a given shipment and check a sample consignment for errors.
Calculate transport index and category for a package carrying a stated surface dose rate.
Describe the consignor's and carrier's duties and the emergency arrangements required for a shipment.
Your checkpoint
A completed mock consignment dossier (classification, package type, labels, transport document) checked against a self-made compliance checklist.
Emergency Preparedness and Incident Response & Quality Assurance, Records, and Documentation
Draft a response outline for two incident scenarios, covering notification, dose assessment, and contamination control.
Explain how quality assurance and record retention support regulatory compliance, and identify records that must be retrievable years later.
Audit a sample set of records against a documented QA procedure and identify non-conformities.
Complete a timed 40-question mixed-domain self-test and review every incorrect answer to root cause.
Your checkpoint
Two incident response outlines plus a one-page records audit log listing at least five findings and their corrective actions.
Milestones
Week 2: Score at least 80% on a self-made 20-question quiz covering domains 1 and 3, and correctly classify 12 of 15 worksheet streams without notes.
Week 4: Complete all three dose calculations with correct units and reach the right compliance conclusion, then pass a 25-question mixed quiz on domains 2 and 4 at 80% or above.
Week 6: Produce a monitoring design that a peer can follow without questions, and correctly interpret all three sample results against stated limits.
Week 8: Score at least 85% on the timed 40-question mixed test, with no domain below 70%, and have corrective actions logged for every missed question.