The Office of New Reactors (NRO) evaluates designs for new reactors and license applications to make sure they meet the necessary laws and regulations. NRO staffers complete these reviews after we’ve gathered the information we need to conclude the design or proposed reactor can protect public health and safety and the environment.
I’m one of nine NRO health physicists who participate in these reviews. We work to ensure the plant will protect people from the reactor’s radiation, both during normal operation and during accidents. We have engineering or physical science degrees, and our training focuses on radiation sources in a nuclear reactor, how they could impact people and the environment, and how to avoid unnecessary radiation exposure.
Our work helps ensure that new reactors’ structures, systems and components will minimize radiation exposures to plant personnel and members of the public — to the extent reasonable with modern technology. The reviews also consider risks from hazards that are not radiological, so that when we reduce radiation risk we don’t inadvertently increase risk from other hazards.
NRO health physicists also review the operational programs and procedures for proposed new reactors to make sure that management and personnel keep radiation exposures as low as is reasonably achievable through proper training, behavior and decisionmaking.
Our work always focuses on ensuring the possible health risks and environmental hazards associated with new reactors are managed before the reactors are approved and built.
Sara Bernal Health Physicist
U.S. NRC Blog 
Are these health physicist also concerned about the environmental issues with the uses of nuclear processes?
Thanks for your interest and your comment. As I see it, the future role of the health physicist will be to continue what they are doing now, educating themselves and others about the radiation risks around them, and working to protect people and the environment from these risks to the extent possible. Changes that may affect how health physicists conduct business include improvements in technology and design, new or updated research results, and gradual changes in regulatory requirements.
For more information on health physics as it relates to NRC’s mission visit http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation.html .
For general information on health physics and radiation protection visit Health Physics Society’s website (www.hps.org), the National Council for Radiation Protection & Measurements (http://www.ncrponline.org/) or the International Commission on Radiological Protection (http://www.icrp.org/) websites.
Sara Bernal
What is the future role of the health physicist? What changes are taking place that will shape the way we conduct our business?