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Navy NEC · Engineering

N79Z Health Physics Counting System Operator (HPCSO)

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

A Navy Enlisted Classification: a skill designation sailors hold in addition to their rating.

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Overview

A health physics counting system operator uses germanium and scintillation detectors to identify and quantify radioactivity in samples, system hardware, tools, and equipment. The operator calibrates detectors, verifies quality control, analyzes radiation spectroscopy data, evaluates personnel for internally deposited radioactivity, and compares measured radioactivity with release criteria.

Core Skills

  • Germanium and scintillator radiation spectroscopy
  • Detector calibration and statistical quality control
  • Radioactivity assessment for release from controls
  • Personnel counting for internally deposited radioactivity

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Nuclear Monitoring Technicians

Personnel counting, radioactivity measurement, and emergency support for contaminated personnel transfer directly to radiation monitoring work.

How to prepare: Practice calculating safe exposure times from contamination readings and prescribed radiation limits to complement your personnel-counting experience.

What the civilian work involves
  • Calculate safe radiation exposure times for personnel using plant contamination readings and prescribed safe levels of radiation.
  • Monitor personnel to determine the amounts and intensities of radiation exposure.
  • Provide initial response to abnormal events or to alarms from radiation monitoring equipment.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Microsoft Excel

Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

Radioactivity analysis, detector quality checks, and assessment against release criteria provide a foundation for workplace radiation-hazard testing.

How to prepare: Complete a practical industrial-hygiene sampling course covering chemical and noise hazards to broaden beyond radiation measurements.

What the civilian work involves
  • Test workplaces for environmental hazards, such as exposure to radiation, chemical or biological hazards, or excessive noise.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Microsoft Excel

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (3 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC N79Z

    [1] NEC entry "N79Z - Health Physics Counting System Operator (HPCSO)"; cached text line 9080; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition

    Supports: Germanium and scintillator radiation spectroscopy, Detector calibration and statistical quality control, Radioactivity assessment for release from controls, Personnel counting for internally deposited radioactivity, Nuclear Monitoring Technicians (O*NET 19-4051.02), Occupational Health and Safety Technicians (O*NET 19-5012.00)

  2. O*NET: Nuclear Monitoring Technicians

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Nuclear Monitoring Technicians (O*NET 19-4051.02)

  3. O*NET: Occupational Health and Safety Technicians

    [3] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Occupational Health and Safety Technicians (O*NET 19-5012.00)

Defense contractor jobs for N79Z

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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