Job Title

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material Radiation Safety Officer — NORM RSO

Job Purpose

The NORM Radiation Safety Officer is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the site’s radiation protection program for activities involving naturally occurring radioactive material. The role ensures workers, the public, and the environment are protected from ionizing radiation risks arising from NORM-contaminated equipment, process residues, scales, sludge, produced water, minerals, ores, wastes, and related industrial materials.

NORM may require regulatory control where radionuclides of natural origin in industrial materials create exposure risks to workers, the public, or the environment. The IAEA identifies NORM as radioactive elements in minerals and ores originally found in the environment, and notes that some NORM materials require radiation control and regulation.

Key Responsibilities

Radiation Protection Program

1. NORM Identification and Surveys

2. Exposure Control

3. ALARA Management

4. Regulatory Compliance

5. NORM Waste Management

6. Training and Competency

7. Emergency Preparedness

8. Records and Documentation

9. Audits and Continuous Improvement

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in health physics, radiation protection, nuclear engineering, physics, chemistry, environmental science, or a related technical discipline.

• NRRC NORM Certificate

• Formal Radiation Safety Officer training or Radiation Protection Officer training.

• Specific training or experience in NORM/TENORM management.

• Working knowledge of ionizing radiation hazards, dose limits, contamination control, internal exposure pathways, ALARA, radioactive waste management, and radiation instrumentation.

• Knowledge of applicable local radiation protection regulations and licensing requirements.

Soft Skills

• Strong authority to stop unsafe work.

• Clear field communication with operators and contractors.

• Good technical writing.

• Strong recordkeeping discipline.

• Practical judgment under operational pressure.

• Ability to train non-specialists without oversimplifying the hazard.