Working for nuclear power facility - any advice?

RoyalRaven

Great opportunity came up that will land me in nuclear power work, primarily in technical aspects of InfoSec. I have quite a bit of compliance background with HIPAA, PCI, etc, so I'm confident I can get comfortable in the compliance/regulation aspects sooner-than-later, but this industry will be a new adjustment for me.

Does anyone have advice on how to ramp up for this type of work or what soft-skill areas I may need to pay extra attention to? There's a lot of non-IT info out there on the net, but wanted to find out more information coming from a technical background. I was told specifically technical aptitude is what they desire most out of this position, not an auditor-based only kind of role, so I'm a great fit with my background. This would be a 1-2 year role for me, at least as far as I what I know now, so that may influence my approach to it as well.

jdballinger

Lead-lined underwear.

Just sayin.

QHalo

stay away from big red buttons.

Rosco2382

I was in the Navy, stationed on submarines which are all Nuclear. Only thing I can advise is that you pay attention to where you are, don't wonder into places you shouldn't go. If they require you to wear a TLD or any other monitoring device, keep it on you at all times, and in front of your person. Though I would imagine you will only be have to worry about your specific job role and not worry to much about the Nuclear side of things.

cyberguypr

I've been told the frown upon these:

mikemc90

DIACAP might be worth taking a look at. I am sure they have something very similar to it.

jasong318

Might want to take a look at NERC CIP and see if the NRC has anything publicly available.

Zartanasaurus

Is it located in Springfield by any chance?

SharkDiver

Don't bring your work home with you.

Mrock4

As mentioned, NERC CIP will be your friend (or not!)

Good luck!

pumbaa_g

Nice one guys, made my day.

RoyalRaven

Thanks for all of the advice. Laughter is also greatly appreciated

jmritenour

It can't be that hard if Homer Simpson can maintain a job at one for 20+ years. Have fun!

powerfool

Sounds pretty fun. One simple rule: radiation of all sorts loses half of its power as you double your distance from it.

Also, potassium is also radioactive, so don't get bent out of shape... just take the precautions seriously and do your job to the best of anyone's abilities, please

That sounds pretty fun. Can you say the region you will be working? I have been considering a move into the energy section at some point and have been looking at operations of the TVA.

RoyalRaven

powerfool wrote: »

Sounds pretty fun. One simple rule: radiation of all sorts loses half of its power as you double your distance from it.

Also, potassium is also radioactive, so don't get bent out of shape... just take the precautions seriously and do your job to the best of anyone's abilities, please

That sounds pretty fun. Can you say the region you will be working? I have been considering a move into the energy section at some point and have been looking at operations of the TVA.

I'm in the Great Lakes region, or region III per the NRC. From looking a map of the facilities, there are a lot of locations east of the Mississippi, even more the further you go east. I'm not going to be working directly for the facility, but through a local company that has a very good relationship with the power company running it. I might be there for up to two years initially and perhaps on-board longer, however, this company also has a lot of ties with other organizations I'd like to work for at some point. I'm very likely to be put in different projects across their portfolio, based on how things play out. For me it's going to be like working for many companies without the risk or hassle of working for each one directly. I've been at the same employer for over a decade now, so for me, getting out and about with new experiences is a very welcomed situation from where I was. Trying to get in direct at the power company would be a great challenge, especially considering these kinds of positions (at this specific facility) likely never make it to a direct hire listing due to the established business relationships.

Ivanjam

powerfool wrote: »

One simple rule: radiation of all sorts loses half of its power as you double your distance from it.

The exposure rate varies inversely with the square of the distance from the source of radiation. So, theoretically, it will lose three-quarters of its strength as you double the distance from the source.

PurpleIT

Ivanjam wrote: »

The exposure rate varies inversely with the square of the distance from the source of radiation. So, theoretically, it will lose three-quarters of its strength as you double the distance from the source.

No theory, fact; although it is more conventional to say it is 1/4 the strength at twice the distance.

Ivanjam

PurpleIT wrote: »

No theory, fact; although it is more conventional to say it is 1/4 the strength at twice the distance.

LOL @PurpleIT - it's "theoretical" because it only holds for a point source that is an isotropic radiator. A spatially extended source has a more complex exposure pattern although most sources of radiation can be considered point sources over distances that are large in comparison to the dimensions of the source.

kgb

You guys need to take this to PM's...you are making feel so stupid