An IAEA course that enables participants to train radiation protection officers was recently held in Arabic for the first time.
Thirty-two radiation safety professionals participated in the 25 to 29 March course in Beirut, Lebanon, held in parallel in Arabic and English. They learned how to train radiation protection officers, who are professionals designated by the registrant, licensee or their employer to oversee the application of safety requirements in medical or industrial facilities using radiation.
Since the course’s establishment in 2012, the IAEA has held 27 radiation protection officer training courses in English, French, Russian and Spanish. The first course using two languages concurrently - English and French - was held last year in Morocco.
“The use of additional languages makes the course more accessible to a wider audience, as participants often are more familiar with technical terminology in their native languages,” said Amparo Cristobal, an IAEA Radiation Safety Specialist who led the recent training course.
In Beirut, participants from Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen took the course in Arabic, while participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Singapore and Sri Lanka took the course in English.
Course leaders from Canada, India, Morocco, the Syrian Arab Republic and the IAEA discussed the roles, duties and competencies in radiation safety. The course also focused on how to design a training sequence on technical topics, and how to be an effective trainer.
“This course has enabled me to use the best teaching tools and innovative techniques for delivering the necessary information and knowledge that a Radiation Protection Officer must have,” said participant Ibrahim Duhaini, Chief Medical Physicist and Radiation Safety Officer at the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Lebanon.
The course is part of the education and training resources the IAEA offers Member States in radiation, transport and waste safety. Other resources include postgraduate educational courses and specialized training courses.
The course was delivered as part of an IAEA technical cooperation project that provides education and training in radiation safety in the Asia-Pacific region.
