<p>I’m working in the design area and help maintain and look up specifications, drawings, etc for a giant probability model that shows how any individual action (shutting down a pump for maintenance for example) will effect the plant and what chain of failures or errors could possibly lead to core damage. As ME 76 hinted at, most of the engineers actually don’t have much if any nuclear background. I’ve met EE, ME, Chem E, Civils, Nuke E, and some people in programming all working at the plant performing engineering work. The actual plant besides the reactor and obvious security differences isn’t that far from a coal plant. To get access to containment you will go through some very basic radiation education however (compared to the major) of which no one in my training group had any issues with.</p>