The Radiation Protection Institute (RPI) of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) with support from the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Ghana, has carried out a 3-day radiation safety-training programme for selected Radiofrequency professionals in the telecommunication industry.
The core objective of the course was to implement radiation training and certification modules to effectively protect humans and the environment from radiation hazards.
Speaking at a ceremony held at the RPI conference room in Accra Ghana, to officially open the training programme, and welcome all participants selected from private and government institutions, the Deputy Director General of GAEC, Prof. Shiloh Osae, stressed on the need to ensure safety especially in the radiation industry
Prof. Shiloh took his time to educate all the participants on GAEC’s core activities and their impact on national development. He urged them to erase all their erroneous perceptions about GAEC being a manufacturer of bombs and spread the word about the cutting edge science going on. He added that the commission’s research activities provide solutions to many sectors of the Ghanaian economy.
In a short address to the participants, the Deputy Director of RPI, Dr. Joseph Kwabena Amoako, disclosed that the goal of the programme is to collaborate with local and international experts to develop an internationally recognized competency-based curriculum to train professionals involved in the use of radiation.
He added that the initiative is also to train industry players to avoid potentially hazardous exposures to radiation from radioactive sources and Radiofrequency (RF) fields. “This will ensure that certified trainees can use the internationally recognized certification anywhere”, he disclosed.
The participants were taken through various subjects including Radio Frequency (RF) Site Safety, Types of RF Radiation, Introduction to Antennas and RF sources and Radiation Safety Assessment. Other areas covered include RF Safety Regulations and Standards.
The initial beneficiaries of the programme include selected officers from the Signal Unit of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), The National Communication Authority, Vodafone Ghana Limited, Helios Towers Ghana Limited and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
By: Thykingdom Kudesey – Office of Corporate and Public Affairs (OCPA), GAEC
