NuclearCONNECT Edition 6

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NuclearCONNECT CONNECTING THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY

WWW.NUCLEARCONNECT.CO.UK

ISSUE 6 July 2011 £9.50

Images provided courtesy of EDF Energy - New Build in progress at Flamanville



Introduction

Issue 06 1st July - 30th September 2011 MANAGING DIRECTOR Dan Connew T: 01937 580400

Welcome to the sixth edition of NuclearCONNECT, a publication available on-line at

SALES DIRECTOR David Wightman T: 01937 580408 E: david.wightman@theconnectseries.co.uk

www.nuclearconnect.co.uk and in print format. The last edition of the magazine brought great interest and as a result more and

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Finn Langley T: 01937 580423 E: finn.langley@theconnectseries.co.uk PRODUCTION MANAGER Tracey Bramall T: 01937 580406 E: tracey.bramall@theconnectseries.co.uk

more of your editorials are making their way onto our Industry news pages. We hope to continue receiving your positive comments. Please get in touch if you have any suggestions, editorials or photos. We do take time to read all emails and welcome your input. In this issue NuclearCONNECT investigates the benefits of the Nuclear Skills

STUDIO MANAGER Andy Bickerdike T: 01937 580407 E: andy.bickerdike@theconnectseries.co.uk

Passport. We take a closer look at the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory and the future for Low Level Waste packaging. We also take time to speak with Mike Nicholls, Managing Director UK & Europe, PacTec EPS Ltd. NuclearCONNECT is always looking to improve communication within the nuclear energy industry. We have included a directory to give a handy up to date reference

Published by

section covering the range of companies, products and services available within this growing industry. If your company isn't currently listed, please refer to our Inclusion form on page 108.

Group Information Services Ltd, 2 Highcliffe Court, Greenfold Lane,

For more information on supplying editorial contribution please visit:

Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS22 6RG. Tel: (01937) 580400 Fax: (01937) 580499

www.nuclearconnect.co.uk/contact-us I look forward to hearing from you.

Email: office@gisltd.co.uk Web: www.gisltd.co.uk The design and layout of this directory remains the property of Group Information Services Ltd, it must

Andy Bickerdike Editor

not be reproduced or transmitted to a third party without prior written consent. Š April 2010. All of the articles in this publication have been supplied to the publisher by external sources. The publisher can not accept responsibility for the accuracy of the content, or for any errors, omissions or mis-statements, nor can the publisher accept responsibility for the copy supplied by the advertisers. The publisher shall not be liable for any direct or indirect or consequential loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of relying on any statement in or omission from these articles. Opinions expressed in these articles are not the opinions of the publishers.

Visit the NuclearCONNECT Website now at www.nuclearconnect.co.uk

STAND OUT FROM THE REST Contact Sales on 01937 580477 Showcase your company in front of over 3000 key

buyers and decision makers with an Enhanced Directory Listing NuclearCONNECT

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Introduction

Industry News 6

9

Local supply chains provide the link for New Nuclear BAM Nuttall Civil engineering for the nuclear industry

10 Planning and Implementation of Geological Disposal 11 The Nuclear Sector Some Observations from an SME 13 Decommissioning the world's largest open air nuclear fuel storage pond

Cover The cover photo for our July edition shows the construction site of the new Flamanville 3 EPR in April 2009. The operational Flammanville 1 and 2 stations can also be seen in the background. EDF Energy is planning to construct two reactors of this type at Hinkley Point in Somerset. More details for this can be found on pages 6 and 7.

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15 PATEX 2011 Launches NES North West Division 17 New appointments at ARC Machines Inc to drive UK sales 19 Delivering Outstanding Training for the Nuclear Industry

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Feature 4

Nuclear Skills Passport Implemented by Industry Penny Lees investigates the benefits of the Nuclear Skills Passport to companies and individuals

20 Future for Low Level Waste packaging Penny Lees talks about the advantages of soft-sided waste packaging.

22 Full ahead for NDA strategy & business plan Penny Lees reports on the publication of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s five year strategy and annual business plan

15

THE CONNECT TEAM

Andy Bickerdike Studio Manager

2

NuclearCONNECT

Liz Boyle Financial Controller

Jo Brotheridge Data Executive

Tracey Bramall Production Manager

Dan Connew Managing Director

Julia Dingwall Account Manager


Introduction

Directory 37 Category Listings Search for companies you need by their category of services.

37 Consulting 53 Engineering, Plant & Equipment

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28

75 Industry Bodies 77 Infrastructure

Feature 24 Getting Innovation off the drawing board Penny Lees takes a closer look at the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory development capabilities

28 Under the skin of Mike Nicholls Penny Lees speaks with Mike Nicholls to find out a bit more about his career

Diary of Events 26 Diary of events Essential events to attend in the forthcoming months.

24

Sam Eason Media Sales

91 Personnel Services & Training Search for companies you need by their name.

Website

32 Lessons learned to enhance global safety Gareth Davies comments on Dr Weightman’s (ONR) report

For all the latest vacancies Visit the NuclearCONNECT

Training

Finn Langley R & D Manager

Website now at

www.nuclearconnect.co.uk

34 Communicating difficult decisions

30

Angela Johnson Media Sales

87 Office Management

95 Alphabetical Supplier Listings

Law

30 Nuclear safety How safe is safe in the UK? Penny Lees outlines Mike Weightman’s interim report on 2011 events in Japan.

85 Nuclear Sites

32

Oliver Lee Media Sales

James Parnham Media Sales

David Wightman Sales Director

NuclearCONNECT

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Feature

Nuclear

Skills Passport Implemented by Industry Organisations across the UK nuclear industry are currently implementing the long awaited Nuclear Skills Passport. he Nuclear Skills Passport brings a step change for the nuclear sector, by providing an effective vehicle for the introduction of industry agreed and cross site recognition of internal and external skills development training.

T

Nuclear employers worked with Cogent Sector Skills Council [CSSC] and the National Skills Academy for Nuclear [NSAN] to agree training standards which can be recognised across different sites. Known as the Nuclear Industry Training Framework it forms an important part of the Nuclear Skills Passport. Until now all nuclear sites trained employees and contractors to their own high standards, but when transferring staff to different facilities, the training that they had already completed was not recognised, leading to additional training being undertaken. The Nuclear Skills Passport is a system that offers all nuclear organisations instant web access to information on their nuclear skills base, offering a detailed overview of the training completed by their workforce as well as contracting organisations. 4

NuclearCONNECT

For contractors, the Skills Passport provides a simple method of aiding in the demonstration of SQEP. It is a highly secure system, both in terms of IT security (housed on a restricted network) and the security of data - people cannot search randomly or see records without permission from the owner of the record.

needs and availability, for all organisations

The system enables organisations to effectively assess and plan their training, skills and people requirements. The Nuclear Skills Passport is different to other industry Passport schemes, as it has been designed by Nuclear employers, specifically for the requirements of the Nuclear sector.

Strategy at the NDA comments:

Jean Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the NSAN explains: “The Nuclear Skills Passport is of paramount importance to the Nuclear industry, not only will the system be an effective vehicle for the introduction of industry standards, it will also provide significant cost saving to organisations by reducing repeat training and operation costs, which will then also impact on the cost of contracts for Site Licence Companies. The Nuclear Skills Passport will support the effective forward planning of future skills

using the system, and on an industry-wide level. This will aid in the advance creation of appropriate solutions and provide intelligence for organisations to effectively plan and budget for their future skills requirements.” Nigel Couzens, Head of People

“The main benefits of the Passport to the NDA is the potential to reduce training costs and apply the standards of the Nuclear Industry Training Framework. It will also aid the mobility and the transfer of skills within and across the nuclear industry and provide a platform that will enable employees to assess their competence levels.” The Skills Passport Concept comprises five key elements:1. A web based accessible learner database, providing a registry of training records for individual passport holders including roles, qualifications and Industry Training Standards held on the Nuclear Industry Training Framework (NITF).


Feature 2. Dataset repository for Job Contexts -the agreed common job roles across industry with which associated competencies are aligned.

Image provided courtesy of NSAN - Left: Jean Llewellyn. Right: Roger Hardy

3. A Benchmarking tool that supports and enables up-skilling and workforce mobility across the sector - allowing existing employee's skills to be recognised and mapped against defined standard industry Job Context roles, highlighting gaps in skills and/or training. 4. Training signposting tool which supports up-skilling by signposting learners to Skills Academy Quality Assured training provision (courses/programmes/qualifications) to meet any identified Skills Gaps. 5. A reporting suite that generates statistics at industry, regional and corporate levels. One of the first companies to sign up to the Passport earlier this year was Babcock. Managing Director Nuclear Roger Hardy said: “Babcock sees the Nuclear Skills Passport system as a business imperative for all its UK operations, and we wish to be proactive in supporting its implementation across the nuclear industry. We place a very high value on the skill and quality of our workforce, and this system enables us to demonstrate this simply and effectively with ready access to records of our people's specific training and qualifications. A further key benefit will be to aid cost-effective mobility of our people around different sites, without having to complete repeat training for each site. For the industry as a whole, we believe it will focus attention on up-skilling current

workforce, encourage investment in staff training and development, and will contribute to developing and retaining the UK nuclear skills base.” Additional Organisations which have to date commenced the implementation process for the Nuclear Skills Passport include - ACS Construction Group, Jacobs, AMEC, Atkins Ltd, BAM Nuttall Ltd, Boutling Group plc, Cape, Carillion Construction Ltd, Corporate Risk Associates, Costain Group plc,

EDF Energy, F K Roofing Services Ltd, Laboratory Impex Systems Ltd, Magnox Ltd, NIS Ltd, SR3 Ltd, Studsvik UK Ltd, Topspeed Couriers Ltd, VVB Engineering and William Hare Ltd. Companies had this to share, Paul Kelly of Carillion: “The main benefits of the Nuclear Skills Passport to our company will be the ability to demonstrate the suitably qualified and experienced (SQEP) credentials of our employees. This allows us to support our customers across current (decommissioning, defence, operational support) and emerging (new nuclear build) markets to diligently discharge their obligations under Nuclear Site Licence Conditions.” John Male of AMEC: “The main benefits of the Nuclear Skills Passport System for us are the reduced training costs, higher training standards across the industry and the chance for employees to pursue career development, inline with our own career path structure.” Julie Palmer of Lab Impex Systems: “We found the system to be very straight forward to use and the overall impact on our time was much less than we had expected. The main benefit for us will be savings to our company, both in cost and time which will be achieved by the elimination of repeat training; and the ability to demonstrate SQEP requirements.” The Nuclear Skills Passport System is offered as part of membership to the Skills Academy. Organisations can learn more via nuclearskillspassport.co.uk and nuclear.nsacademy.co.uk. NuclearCONNECT

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IndustryNews

Local

supply chains New Nuclear provide the link for

The proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear new build development offers big opportunities for companies that wish to become part of EDF Energy's Hinkley supply chain. It also provides a challenge. Nothing of this scale has been built in the UK for thirty years and the development will be looked upon globally as a model for how nuclear power plants will be built in the future. his project is an opportunity for Somerset to become an industry and world leader in new nuclear, as highlighted by the Head of Nuclear New Build with the Department of Energy and Climate Change, Hergen Haye, at the recent Somerset in Business Conference. He referred to it as a “huge challenge and fantastic business opportunity,” adding, “By training up the workforce, expanding businesses, starting new businesses and attracting businesses from elsewhere you can, in the long term, become leaders in that field.”

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There are challenges for operators, planning authorities and businesses as to how best to deliver the balance between the impact on communities and the environment during construction, and the lasting legacy for those same communities through improved skills, higher value careers and local business capability that can provide ongoing economic benefit long after the power station is built. In order to put in place some foundations on which the business and economic benefit can be built, EDF Energy has been working closely with the Somerset Chamber of Commerce and the county's inward investment organisation, Into Somerset, to identify and engage suppliers for the Hinkley Project. So far this has been focused on raising awareness, identifying the business capabilities available and providing procurement information about contract timetables and likely accreditation requirements. A Somerset supply chain portal has been developed where businesses can quickly and easily register their interest, capabilities and accreditations. Once registered, businesses are kept informed of project progress, procurement processes 6

NuclearCONNECT

Images provided courtesy of EDF Energy - New Build in progress at Flamanville


IndustryNews

and accreditation requirements through news updates and an associated support programme. So far some 800 businesses have registered.

seminars and 'Meet the Buyer' events,

Jamie Driver, Local Senior Procurement Specialist for Nuclear New Build at EDF Energy, comments, “It has been very encouraging for EDF Energy to find such a broad range of capability and capacity within the local supply chain. Many local businesses are now stepping up to prepare for the challenge ahead. The support events held for us by the Somerset Chamber of Commerce have been very well received and have provided a sound template for future events. One particularly valuable spin-off has been the networking generated between companies, which has already spawned future collaboration possibilities that would not have been thought possible prior to the Chamber events.”

events focus specifically on the requirements

The Hinkley Point C Supply Chain Team provides a single point of contact for businesses and agencies engaged in the construction of the project. The team works closely with the South West Manufacturing Advisory Service, Business Link, Bridgwater College, West Somerset Community College and skilled private providers to deliver a tailored business support programme that increases effective engagement of local businesses with the project. An 'accelerator programme' is being developed to help businesses make sure they are in position at the right time during the procurement process, assisting them with tendering processes, procurement timetables and accreditation requirements. Businesses registered on the Hinkley C Supply Chain Portal also benefit from invitations to a series of workshops,

giving businesses the opportunity to engage directly with the main contractors. In line with the procurement timetable, these of the main contractors, which are then matched with local business capability. Some of these events have featured speakers from contractors who have successfully bid for work in this and similar large scale construction projects, giving businesses both a reality check and the advice and encouragement to engage. Although the main works at Hinkley Point C will be delivered via approximately 150 major contracts to 'Tier 1' contractors, each of these major contractors will need to find their own suppliers. EDF Energy will also be offering hundreds of smaller contracts directly. Both EDF Energy and Tier 1 contractors are looking for suppliers now. A matching service is already being offered to Tier 1 contractors involved in bidding for or delivering projects at Hinkley Point C with local suppliers with relevant capabilities and accreditations being introduced to procurement teams. Whilst Somerset likes to point to its impressive advanced engineering and construction sectors, there is acceptance that there are significant gaps in capability and capacity that will need to be filled by companies external to Somerset. There is therefore real opportunity for both productive business partnerships between Somerset and non-Somerset companies to be formed and for companies with key skills to be attracted into the county - particularly if they are likely to stay after the build is complete.

in the county are already partnering with companies outside the area in order to improve their chances of being selected for Hinkley Project contracts, whilst some companies from outside the area are considering moving to or setting up an office in Somerset to strengthen their case. Overall, Hinkley Point C is expected to deliver at least 5,000 Somerset jobs during construction and 900 permanent jobs during operation; £100million per year into the local economy during construction and £40million per year during operation; and over £6million into skills and training in Somerset. The site preparation works for Hinkley Point C, which prepare the site for the main construction to follow, could begin later this year, subject to approval from West Somerset Council. Expected to last around 15 months, the site preparation works stage would begin to unlock the benefit for business through early investment, creating approximately 500 new jobs. The businesses involved will invest in skills and apprenticeships, enabling both the businesses and the people employed to develop greater skills and capability, which in turn will help them win more contracts employing higher skills in the future. Up to the challenge? Then do not delay get in touch with Into Somerset and the Hinkley Supply Chain Team today to register your interest or find out more about becoming part of this once-in-a-generation opportunity. More information can be found on www.intosomerset.co.uk and www.hinkleysupplychain.co.uk or by calling 01823 444924.

Thanks to the support and advice provided by Into Somerset, a number of businesses NuclearCONNECT

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IndustryNews

BAM Nuttall Civil engineering for the nuclear industry AM Nuttall is one of the few civil engineering contractors to have UK-wide experience and capability in the nuclear industry. We have worked on nuclear licensed sites from Devonport in the South of England to Dounreay in the North of Scotland, including the Sellafield fuel reprocessing site and Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston.

B

We have undertaken a wide variety of civil engineering and construction projects involving decommissioning, new build and life extension activities. These include:

Diversion of radioactive drainage system at Dounreay

The scope of our work included the

Grouting of rock mass to reduce permeability at Dounreay

store and sentence the sludge. We

Decommissioning and clean-up of contaminated land at the naval dockyard at Rosyth Structural dismantling and controlled demolition at Berkeley and Trawsfynydd power stations Seismic strengthening of structures at Dungeness

procured and supplied all materials and equipment and the building adjacent to

BAM Nuttall has a good understanding of the regulatory framework, working environment and security regime at nuclear licensed sites. Our management systems for health and safety, quality and the environment provide control over all work activities in this regulated environment. Our project managers are experienced in the particular demands of nuclear projects and have a good understanding of the culture associated

detailed design of the plant to thicken,

with the industry.

operational nuclear facilities. The SPRS is a heavily reinforced concrete nuclear storage facility, which forms part of the nuclear decommissioning strategy for Sellafield The structure is approximately 90m long, 50m wide and 20m high, split internally into four defined areas, each of which has various intermediate floor levels. The design life of the building is 100 years and consideration has been given for it to withstand both seismic events.

We have completed a number of

The construction involved the fixing

high profile projects at Sellafield which

of 6500 tonnes of reinforcement bar,

exemplify the type of work that we

the placing of 24000 cubic metres of

undertake. These include the B29

concrete and the erection and

Local Sludge Treatment Plant (LSTP)

dismantling of 75800 cubic metres of

and the Sellafield Product and Residue

access scaffolding.

Store (SPRS).

On both LSTP and SPRS BAM Nuttall utilised local labour which provided a financial boost to the local economy and also assisted in raising local skills levels.

Installation of pipework restraint systems at Wylfa

The Sellafield site required an LSTP

Construction of waste treatment and storage facilities at Sellafield

intermediate level waste, which had

Site infrastructure at AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield

storage pond and store this within

to contain a volume of potentially mobile accumulated as sludge in the fuel modern stainless steel containment cell.

BAM Nuttall is your ideal partner for nuclear civil engineering at Sellafield.

NuclearCONNECT

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IndustryNews

Planning and Implementation of Geological Disposal Steve Majhu - Assistant Director Mining Services, Parsons Brinckerhoff.

s one of the pioneers of nuclear technology, the UK has accumulated a substantial legacy of radioactive waste from a variety of different nuclear programmes, both civil and defence-related. Some of this waste is already in storage, but most still forms part of existing facilities and will only become waste over the next several decades or so as these plants are decommissioned and cleaned-up. Demonstrating that the nuclear industry can deal with radioactive waste is crucial in gaining public confidence that existing and future waste can be managed safely and economically.

A

Between 1989 and 1997, Britain's nuclear waste management agency Nirex developed a comprehensive design for an underground radioactive waste repository next to the BNFL Sellafield works in Cumbria. Using a network of tunnels, the facility was intended to accommodate intermediate and low level nuclear waste. However the project was halted when a planning application for an underground rock characterisation laboratory - to confirm the suitability of the site- was rejected. In 2001, Government initiated the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) programme with a public consultation on the process to find a practicable solution for the UK's higher activity wastes. The independent 10

NuclearCONNECT

Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) was set up to review the options for managing the UK's legacy higher activity radioactive waste. Government made clear that it wanted all the options that had been given serious consideration by the international scientific community to be reviewed. These included, for example, the disposal of radioactive waste in the sea, in the ice caps, and in space. Most of the options were "screened out" because they were unlawful, unethical or posed an unacceptable risk to people's safety or to the environment. In July 2006, CoRWM concluded that, within the context of present knowledge, it had sufficient confidence in geological disposal as the best method for long-term management of radioactive wastes. Geological disposal was preferred by CoRWM largely because it offers a safe and secure long-term management solution that reduces the burden on future generations, by not requiring any further intervention once the geological disposal facility is sealed. The advantages of disposing of waste deep underground include its removal from the human environment and a reduction in the potential impacts of future events such as earthquakes, climate change and human activities. Current UK Government policy is that geological disposal is the way higher activity radioactive wastes will be

managed in the long term: this will be preceded by safe and secure interim storage until a geological disposal facility can receive waste. The MRWS White Paper sets out that the site selection process will be conducted in parallel with discussions between the UK Government, the NDA and a local community from the point at which a community has made an Expression of Interest to open up discussions with the UK Government. The process will progress in stages, allowing all those involved to take stock before deciding whether or not to move to the next stage at a particular site. Overall both the policy and the process are markedly different from those pursued previously. The policy covers all higher activity wastes and nuclear materials potentially requiring geological disposal, rather than just one category of waste (intermediate level waste). The siting process now rests on decisions on involvement and participation by local communities, rather than on the generation of siting proposals by a waste management organisation acting in concert with central Government. To manage delivery of geological disposal, the NDA has established the Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (RWMD). In due course, ownership of the organisation could then be opened up to competition in line with the arrangements for operators of NDA sites.


IndustryNews

The Nuclear Sector Some Observations from an SME

P

rovelio is a specialist

We were client project managers for the

certainty firmly back with the client so

programme and project

high risk ÂŁ161m Combe Down stone

they could pro-actively direct their attention

management consultant

mines project (working with Hydrock,

to the right parts of the supply chain.

established across numerous

who were recently awarded the EDF

regulated industries, including defence,

Hinkley C Remediation Contract).

research and mining. As a relative new-

With the mines as shallow as 2m below

comer to 'nuclear', it has been a revelation

ground, the procurement strategy was

finding an industry so open to an SME and

developed to balance incentivised delivery

its ideas. These ideas, have led our practice

against overriding safety requirements.

to grow despite the economic climate. For

Innovatively, we developed this strategy

the last two years, we have been finalists in

with HM Inspector of Mines and Hydrock

Building's prestigious national Best PM of

and It has HMIM support as best practice.

the Year and Best Consultancy under 100

With all our staff PRINCE2 and/or MSP

staff, and South West Built Environment's

qualified we have developed numerous

SME of the Year awards. Our quality and

bespoke systems for a wide variety of

safety records, and innovation were key

clients. We developed our Quality

elements within our award submissions.

Management Systems and Procedures

We are specialists in estates management and one of our core strengths is facilitating the effective management of complex MultiOccupancy Sites with multiple linked tenant occupiers each with 'neighbour and collaboration' considerations. Estates typically develop in an ad-hoc fashion and we have developed a rigorous tool for the systematic identification and improvement of waste and inefficiency. Working with a major aerospace company we recently shaved 30% off its FM budget without downgrading the service offering and with further year on year improvements.

The open nature of established nuclear

working on confidential research facilities

As an SME we believe we can bring

organisations, has accelerated our

requiring Home Office approvals throughout.

significant experience derived from other

understanding of the sector's nuances,

Our rigorous testing and commissioning

regulated industries to the nuclear sector. All

and allowed us to identify opportunities to

approach, optimised not only team

regulated sectors have, in varying degrees,

share knowledge of how to achieve value for

integration and performance, but also

shared goals - the effective management of

money and control whilst maintaining quality

client satisfaction.

value, risk and resources, within exacting

and safety. Our aim is to develop this

The scope of the Combe Down project

safety and quality standards. Sharing the

experience to add real value to

could not be ascertained due to safety

lessons learned across those sectors will

nuclear clients.

restrictions on investigations. We developed

benefit all and ensure value for money.

We built our reputation as 'right hand

Management Systems and Controls that led

Paul Wilson - MD Provelio Limited

managers' to clients; providing proactive

to the project finishing early and within

and effective support, cutting through

budget. We made earned value analysis

knotty problems and ensuring projects

work so that it controlled the unknowable

are delivered to time, quality and budget.

elements of the scheme. It placed

Our Health and Safety record is exemplary.

management control and project assurance NuclearCONNECT

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Industry News

Decommissioning the world's largest open air nuclear fuel storage pond ne of Sellafield's

The sludge retrieval project is also

historic fuel storage

cleaning sludge from open topped

fuel storage pond at Sellafield built in

ponds is benefiting from

metal skips currently stored within the

1948 and sludge in the form of algae,

the development of a

pond. There were around 180 skips in

corrosion products and wind blown

new sludge retrieval

the pond, 24 of these have now been

material has been accumulating in this

machine to help safely decommission

emptied, cleaned and exported by the

open air pond ever since. The pond was

what is a 60 year old facility. The sludge

project team to create space within

built to store nuclear fuel and isotopes

retrieval project has taken nine years of

the pond. The remaining skips contain

from the Windscale Reactors that

work requiring significant engineering

miscellaneous nuclear wastes and spent

produced nuclear materials for the

on the plant, as well as the design of

nuclear fuel; these skips will be washed

defence industry.

bespoke equipment to operate in an

to remove the sludge then moved round

underwater, radioactive environment.

the pond following a co-ordinated plan

O

The machine known as the Sludge Retrieval Hood has been designed and built in order to suck up radioactive sludge from the floor of the open air Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP). The PFSP is the largest open air nuclear fuel storage pond in the world containing over 15,000m3 of radioactive water, more than 300m3 sludge, various nuclear wastes and legacy spent nuclear fuel. It poses one of the most challenging decommissioning projects on the Sellafield site and an accelerated programme of decommissioning work is underway. Radiation levels mean that the Sludge Retrieval Hood has to be deployed and operated remotely at the bottom of the 6 metres deep pond, where if sucks up some 25m3 of material per hour. The sludge is then transferred into the Sludge Corral, where it will be stored pending treatment through the Local Sludge Treatment Plant, currently undergoing inactive commissioning.

which will allow the team to work their way down the full length of the pond floor removing sludge - a project which is expected to take five years to complete. Steve Cottam, Head of PFSP Programme Acceleration, said: “Decommissioning the PFSP has been hampered by the layer of sludge on the pond floor and within the metal skips. We've had to come up with an innovative solution to remove this radioactive sludge to allow the pond to be emptied, as part of our commitment to decommission this high priority project. “It is quite exciting to see the plant make the transition into full blown retrieval operations. Getting the plant to this stage has however been a series of challenges. Equipment was initially designed for the legacy pond based on existing drawings and plant records, but we quite often discovered that the conditions were not as expected, and sometimes had to make last minute modifications to equipment. Even now we still find unexpected things!”

The PFSP was the very first nuclear

Sludge retrieval operations commenced in 2008, when water lances were deployed in the pond bays to flush the sludge into the main pond. However it is only now that a machine has been developed to begin moving sludge from the main pond itself. Kevin Newland, PFSP Technical Manager, added: “Decommissioning the PFSP is a unique piece of work. Not only do we have to deal with the radiological challenges posed by the pond and its contents, we also have to manage what is effectively a small reservoir. Waste water treatment compounds the nuclear problems because we have to consider biomass treatment solutions as well. “In addition because the pond is open air, we have to proceed with the utmost of caution as there is no building to contain any radioactive contamination. In order to safely decommission the building we need to prevent any radioactive materials being released into the environment and so we're looking for new and innovative techniques to successfully complete the project.”

NuclearCONNECT

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NuclearCONNECT


Industry News

PATEX 2011 Launches NES North West Division

uclear Engineering Services (NES) has opened its new facility in Beckermet, Cumbria. Located approximately 2.5miles from Sellafield, the 2100m2 manufacture, assembly, test and commissioning facility was officially opened by John Clarke, NDA Executive Director at the PATEX 2011 event on the 7th & 8th of April.

the supply chain with demonstrators

new NES North West facility located

and exhibitors including the NI,

on the Beckermet Industrial estate and

Advanced Manufacturing Research

providing 1500m2 main hall - with 60te

Centre (AMRC), Daher, Nuvia, AMEC,

crane and 12m clearance, Test tower -

Harsco and the NIA.

with 20te crane and 28m clearance,

The event also included a number

6 metre deep pit and 600m2 of office

PATEX 2011 (Practical Application of Technology Exhibition) offered visitors a unique opportunity to not only attend an exhibition within the new facility but witness live demonstrations of specialised technologies, equipment and processes that support the UK's nuclear decommissioning requirements.

N

The event attracted over 600 visitors coming from as far afield as Dounreay for a chance to witness live demonstrations including; diamond coring, diamond wire sawing, robotic

of keynote presentations over the 2

space - including conference rooms

days from Jamie Reed, Shadow Minister

and open plan offices.

for Environment and MP for Copeland,

Commenting on the success of

Jean-Paul Griffon, Technical Director for

the event, Mike Hawe, NES Managing

Sellafield Ltd., Neil Baldwin, Managing

Director said “PATEX 2011 provided us

Director for Magnox Ltd., and John

with the ideal platform to launch our new

Clarke, NDA Executive Director for

facility and the NES North West division.

Business Planning.

We were delighted with the support from

On his delight at being at the event, Jamie Reed, MP for Copeland and Shadow Minister for DEFRA commented, “NES investing in West Cumbria is terrific. The facility will not only provide a USP for the local area but nationally and internationally and help attract further investment into the area.

supply chain partners demonstrating their capability and the latest industry technology. The unique nature of the event set it apart from anything that has been held previously. The development of the new facility is a clear sign of NES' support to Sellafield and the NDA's decommissioning mission, and to Cumbria and the North West region

applications, demolition techniques,

The facility is incredibly impressive

specialist packages and containers,

and precisely what is required in not

decontamination techniques, underwater

only West Cumbria, but also the rest

application of special coatings by diver,

of the country to fulfil the UK's nuclear

within the area, not only being the closest

3D virtual reality booth and mobile

ambitions. I see NES and the facility

to Sellafield site but with unique facilities

machining. Organised in association

having a long and enviable future”.

to support the requirements of Sellafield

with Nu-Tech Associates, the event

In hosting the event, NES had the

and other companies throughout the

was extremely well supported through

opportunity to introduce visitors to their

North West”.

which will result in the creation of local jobs and reinvestment within the area. The facility stands out from all others

NuclearCONNECT

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Business support for oil, gas, nuclear and offshore renewables sectors ... NOF Energy 1st Floor, Thames House, Mandale Business Park, Belmont Industrial Estate, Durham, DH1 1TH Contact: Paul Livingstone Email: Plivingstone@nofenergy.co.uk Telephone: +44 (0) 191 384 6464 web: www.nofenergy.co.uk

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NuclearCONNECT


IndustryNews

New appointments at ARC Machines Inc to drive UK sales ith two new senior appointments, world leader in automated orbital welding Arc Machines Inc (AMI) is further strengthening the service it provides clients in the UK and Ireland and reinforcing its recent move to a purposebuilt facility in Daventry, as part of a determined strategy for growth.

W

New regional director Michael Allman was brought on board earlier this year to build on AMI's market-leading offer to existing customers and develop new opportunities in key growth areas, while Sean Blandford has, more recently, been appointed as general sales manager to lead sales activities for the UK market from the new site.

maintained a strong identity in the UK and encourages regional directors to develop working practices appropriate to the local business culture. The company has historically dealt through intermediaries, but Mr Allman believes that it is the end user who should be able to specify the best equipment for the job. "AMI has been operating for 30 years," he said, "and is a first-choice welding equipment supplier for many contractors. But nowadays there is tighter control on quality and cost from end users. We need to demonstrate the advantages of AMI products directly to them so that they can ensure the best equipment is specified." One of Mr Allman's first decisions was to consolidate all UK sales activity, including customer support, operator training, equipment maintenance and repair and spares supply, in a single, purpose built facility.

professional with a fresh approach and the experience and intellect we need to drive the business forward. I have no doubt he will not take long to make his mark in the industry." Mr Blandford, who also has significant international experience and has recently completed an MBA with the Henley Business School, sees great opportunity for AMI in new UK markets. "I could not be joining the company at a more exciting time," he said. "Michael's appointment and the move to a new site have set the stage for us to exploit opportunities to grow existing markets and to expand into new ones.

Commenting on his appointment,

in the new 7,000 sq. ft. site which will

Mr Allman said: "AMI has been setting the

be the only one of its kind in the UK to

"Arc has a long standing reputation for reliable, high-quality products and I plan to remind all our customers of the value that can bring to their operations. Other industries that could benefit significantly from automated welding systems just do not include them as an integral part of their engineering culture and we are determined to break that mould."

standards for automated orbital welding

accommodate the full AMI product range

AMI has been setting the standards

for the past 30 years. We have the best

along with a state-of-the-art demonstration

for automated orbital welding technology

products in the business, with a service,

area, full maintenance and service support,

since it was first established in 1976.

training and maintenance structure to

a comprehensive spare parts inventory plus

The company now has the largest product

match, but now is not the time to sit on our

a dedicated operator training facility

range on the market and a reputation for

laurels. We plan to go out to our existing

to meet both current and future

the highest manufacturing standards,

customers and remind them how good

market needs.

technical strength, customer service and

our products and support are and

"We are extremely busy at the moment." Mr Allman added: "We have recently moved to a superb new site and Sean Blandford has been appointed to lead sales activities for the UK from there. Sean is a sales

quality of materials that has made it the first

Mr Allman's engineering background, including 12 years with BP and commercial experience as a company director with both UK and European businesses, brings a strong focus on appealing proactively to existing and potential customers.

to shout loudly to attract new business." Although AMI is the biggest supplier/manufacturer of orbital welding equipment in the world, it has always

Both new appointees will be based

choice in industries ranging from oil and gas, petrochemicals, nuclear and power generation to food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and semi-conductors.

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17


Outstanding Training for the Nuclear Sector


IndustryNews

Image provided courtesy of GEN II

Delivering Outstanding Training for the Nuclear Industry umbria-based GEN II

working closely with schools,

The higher education students have also

Engineering and Technology

industry, employers and community

had cause for celebration when the first

Training Ltd is officially

groups.”

group of students achieved a 100%

'outstanding', following its

Work based learning providers across

pass rate for the new Foundation Degree

the UK are assessed on the success

in Nuclear Related Technology.

were delighted to be judged a Grade 1

rates of their students and for three years

The degree was the' first of its

'outstanding' provider.

running, the success rates for GEN II

kind' being jointly developed by GEN II

Not only does that make GEN II the

apprentice training provision has been

and Sellafield Ltd and validated by the

first work based learning provider in the

20% above the national average.

University of Central Lancashire. Since

North West to achieve this, but they are

Since its inception in 2000, GEN II

the start of the HE schemes in 2007 GEN

also the only work based learning

has gone from strength, having worked

II have developed a suite of five Nuclear

provider that specialises in the nuclear

for over 200 businesses including their

Related Foundation Degrees in addition

industry to be awarded Grade 1 for

partner organisations Sellafield Ltd,

to an extensive range of health and

teaching, support and assessment.

AMEC, Tata Steel, Innovia Films and

safety, higher engineering and nuclear

The impressive report, which is

Iggesund Paperboard. Over the last

related training such as the Award for

available on the Ofsted inspection

decade, GEN II has trained more than

Nuclear Industry Awareness (ANIA)

website (www.ofsted.gov.uk),

1,450 apprentices, and it is particularly

and Radiation Safety Practice.

commended GEN II on many aspects of

significant to note that 98% of learners

Mike Smith, Chief Executive Officer

teaching and learning stating that GEN II

who complete their apprenticeships go

commented “We are delighted to have

“..provide an outstanding range of

straight into full time employment.

been awarded a Grade 1 outstanding

engineering and specialist supplementary

The apprenticeship schemes range

Ofsted training provider status which

awards that meets employers' skills

from higher engineering programmes

recognises the dedication and commitment

needs and provides excellent

such as Electrical and Instrumentation

to learning and education of our learners,

employability and progression

apprenticeships to the newly launched

staff and partner organisations. We are

opportunities for learners. GEN II

Electrotechnical, Warehousing and

the largest provider of training to the Civil

designs many of its programmes

Business Admin apprenticeships.

Nuclear Sector in the UK and continually

to meet the specific and often complex

Uniquely, GEN II offers full progression

strive to address the needs of the nuclear

training needs of specialist sectors like

from apprenticeships right through to

and manufacturing industries by

nuclear and manufacturing. Their

higher education, together with an

delivering high quality fully accredited

business unit has developed a highly

extensive portfolio of commercial

training from entry level through

responsive relationship with key partners,

courses.

Foundation to Masters degree level”.

C

recent Ofsted inspection in which they

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Feature

Future for

Low Level Waste

Packaging

Worldwide the nuclear industry is going through major changes. On one hand the building of new, next generation nuclear power plants and on the other the permanent shutdown, decontamination, decommissioning and demolition of older nuclear facilities.

n the UK, the NDA's mission to undertake the clean up and dismantling of 19 separate ageing nuclear facilities is a complex task. The ongoing programme generates large quantities of radioactive wastes and high demand for Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLW) disposal. Due to the radioactive nature of the wastes, packaging is required for their storage, transport and disposal.

I

LLW has traditionally been transported, interim stored, and disposed of in solid halfheight ISO containers (HHISO) at the Low 20

NuclearCONNECT

Level Waste Repository (LLWR) in West Cumbria. It is forecasted that with the increased pace of the decontamination, decommissioning and demolition of older nuclear facilities, packaging will be in even greater demand and its design needs to be more flexible. Some years ago, an innovative soft-sided packaging product was developed in the United States, specifically for low-level radioactive and hazardous wastes with over 25,000 units safely deployed to date across the US nuclear industry. The packaging is

ideal for the storage, transport, and disposal of low level waste, very low level waste, contaminated soils, demolition debris and hazardous non-radioactive wastes. The NDA's PBO contract for the LLWR called for the contractor to identify, evaluate, and implement better, more efficient, less expensive, and at least equally safe means of managing low level radioactive wastes. This work is currently underway, working with waste generators, shippers, Regulators and Tier 2 companies from the nuclear industry supply chain.


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Managing waste is the core business of LLWR Ltd. It offers UK customers a portfolio of waste and packaging services from container supply, to the treatment and disposal of lower activity wastes. With an increasing focus on sustainability and the application of the Waste Hierarchy, waste services are being designed to assist customers with waste minimisation, helping preserve the life of the LLWR by ensuring its limited capacity is used to the full into the future. The LLWR Ltd 2011 Customer Forum, held in Cumbria in May, focused on the launch of a National Waste Programme and developments in the Waste and Logistics Services. Marc Flynn, Transport Logistics Manager and Neil Shaw, Package Design Authority with LLWR described future initiatives in some detail. One of the concepts which has been under evaluation is softsided packaging, such as that used in the US for 25 years in similar services to rigid HHISO. In the next 6-12 months, this soft-sided packaging is scheduled to be designated as TC11, a new packaging option, operated alongside a reusable TC11 outer container and delivery system. PacTec EPS Ltd and US parent PacTec Inc have been assisting LLWR Ltd with the initiative, using their patented LiftPac soft packaging system. In August 2010, PacTec carried out special testing of the soft-sided package via a 1000 hour driving test, which confirmed the bags leak tightness during routine conditions of transport and meteorological conditions in the UK. The LLW Repository is developing a reusable transport system to transport the TC11 disposable soft-sided packages that is compatible with existing NDA transport infrastructure. The inner container will be placed in the disposal site, and the outer

transport container returned to the waste generation site for further shipments.

The TC11 option will be available to

The LiftPac has been tested and certified to IP-1 and IP-2 standards per 49 CFR 173.411 and also meet IAEA Safety Standards TS-R-1 Section VI Requirements for Industrial Packaging.

wastes in a very efficient and cost effective

This soft-sided packaging is manufactured in special purpose facilities, with ISO 9001 quality manufacturing certifications from woven and non-woven polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, and other special materials. The rectangular bag incorporates special closures including zippers and a unique lifting system. Each bag is individually fabricated, giving options regarding size, volume, closures, lifting devices, internal stiffeners, etc.

interim store, transport, and dispose of manner. Soft-sided waste packages are able to conform, to some extent, to the space or cavity they are placed in, as in the repository. Since grout is not used, the waste loading efficiency is higher than rigid sided packages, thus allowing more waste to be disposed of per unit waste package volume. The package construction materials are resistant to moisture, and do not corrode, as does mild steel. Mike Nichols PacTec EPS Managing Director explains that the company continues to work with the LLWR on business solutions using soft sided packaging and containers. Nuclear sites across the UK are also working with PacTec

Advantages of a Soft-Sided Packaging Option:

on engineering solutions, utilising various PacTec products and the LiftPac container will supply the oil industry in Orkney.

Cost 80-90% less than comparable rigid containers

The rising demand for its product is enabling the company to move its European headquarters to larger premises

Package loading efficiency around 90%

on the Westlakes Science & Technology

Packages store flat when empty

In conclusion, soft-sided packaging

Empty packages moved by 1 or 2 people

solutions for LLW, VLLW and other

Park in West Cumbria in early July.

hazardous waste streams are available and meet IAEA Standards for IP-1 and

Loaded packages can be stacked

Package capacity/dimensions easily modified to meet requirements

economical option for waste generators

Provides an improved environmentally friendly option to steel containers

clean up and facility demolition activities

A typical package loaded weight is around 12 tons

Customer forum presentations visit

IP-2, including leak tightness. These containers constitute a useful, safe and and consignors and will accommodate the quantities of wastes from future nuclear both in the UK and worldwide. For further details of the LLWR www.llwrsite.com and for soft sided packaging www.pacteceps.co.uk NuclearCONNECT

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Feature

Full Ahead for

NDA Strategy & Business Plan

The publication of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority five year strategy and annual business plan highlights the priorities, projected spend and commercial activity at each of its 19 sites for 2011-12 and beyond.

he NDA Strategy setting the direction for delivering our nuclear clean-up programme for five years from 2011 to 2014 was unveiled in April.

T

Lord Marland, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the DECC, said: “Tackling the nuclear legacy is an absolute priority. I am keen to see it dealt with vigorously, rather than leave it to future generations. As such I thoroughly endorse this Strategy and the work being done by the NDA.” The NDA describes its role as the 'strategic mind' responsible for the decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's civil public sector nuclear sites. The Energy Act (2004) requires it to publish a strategy document at least every five years, the first published in March 2006. Chairman Stephen Henwood, commented: “We have a coherent Strategy, and a high level of support from Government to tackle what is a complex legacy dating back in some cases to the 1940’s and 50’s. We have restructured the industry to bring in private sector partners to improve delivery, and we have extracted value from our assets including the sale of land adjacent to our sites to new nuclear developers. I am increasingly confident about the credibility of the plans in place across the estate and our focus is now firmly on their efficient delivery.” The draft strategy document published for consultation in September 2010 elicited 74 responses from a wide range of stakeholders. A report summarising them 22

NuclearCONNECT

and describing how the comments informed the final Strategy is available at www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/ND A-Strategy-Post-ConsultationResponse-April-2011.pdf All comments were considered and assessed to determine their influence and impact on the Strategy. The responses were broadly supportive and therefore no significant or substantive changes were made to its proposed strategic direction. Tony Fountain, NDA Chief Executive outlines the main Strategy features: “Our Strategy provides us with a clear view of our 10 to 20 year priorities and the scope of work across our 19 sites. The NDA is a small strategic authority; key to our success is translating strategy into clear plans and selecting the right delivery partners to execute them efficiently. We are seeing the best international contractors competing for UK business and in so doing building UK supply chain capability for the future.” “Hazard reduction is our absolute priority and that is why we are prioritising our resources to tackle our most challenging facilities.” “We are also pursuing an 'optimised programme' for the decommissioning of the I0 Magnox sites - the first generation of electricity producing reactors - with accelerated progress at two 'lead sites', Trawsfynydd and Bradwell. At other sites innovative solutions to tackle specific issues will be trialled and best practice shared, bringing forward the overall timescales and reducing costs.”

Last month the NDA announced opportunities for stakeholders to inform the development and implementation of the Strategy during 2011-2012, with documents outlining information and expected stakeholder activities for the specific themed areas defined in the Strategy document. Stakeholders are invited to submit details of engagement preferences to help provide a more fit-for-purpose and value for money programme of stakeholder engagement. A national 2 day event is planned for late November.

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Feature

XXX Reactor - Sizewell B

“Other significant challenges are around the effective management of nuclear materials and waste. We need to utilise our current and planned infrastructure more effectively to deal with the growing amounts of waste generated by the decommissioning programme and to work with Government on the implementation of policy with regards to long term waste management and the future use of our plutonium stockpile.” “I believe we are well placed to deliver real success over the next 10 to 20 years by which time we will have made significant inroads at Sellafield and Dounreay, delivered all Magnox reactors into their 'Care and Maintenance' phase, completed the decommissioning of the Harwell and Winfrith sites and be well on the way towards developing a geological disposal facility.” The NDA also published its Business Plan for 2011/12, setting out planned annual expenditure of £2.9b, part of a 4Y total of approximately £12b in line with the Government October 2010 spending review.

Priority continues to be tackling the highest hazards, with an accelerated programme of risk and hazard reduction underway at Sellafield as well as challenging targets set for reprocessing and vitrification of highly active liquors. Sellafield's annual expenditure is planned at £1.55b and includes the continued construction of Evaporator D, currently the largest single project in the UK nuclear estate.

Dounreay, with contract award early 2012. In addition, the remaining competition for the Magnox and RSRL sites, is due to start mid 2012.

The Business Plan supports the taking forward of an optimised approach within the Magnox fleet, identifying Trawsfynydd and Bradwell as lead sites for accelerated decommissioning. Further progress will be made in defuelling at Chapelcross, Sizewell A and Dungeness A , with generation continuing at Oldbury and Wylfa. Annual expenditure across the Magnox sites is planned at £0.65b. Continued progress will be made in decommissioning at Dounreay with construction commencing on the new Low Level Waste repository; within an annual site funding of around £150m.

geological disposal for higher activity

The NDA will complete the competition to find a Parent Body Organisation for

Other key tasks include securing a future for the Capenhurst site that maximises value for the taxpayer; Supporting Government policy in the development of future arrangements for plutonium stocks; Making further progress towards implementation of wastes; Progressing plans for the movement of nuclear materials to optimise use of NDA assets. The Plan, which can be viewed at www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/ NDA-Business-Plan-2011-2014.pdf represents a strong and sustained investment in the UK nuclear clean-up programme. Tony Fountain concludes: “This Business Plan represents a challenging year of activity right across our estate and we look forward to seeing our contracting partners deliver strong performance while meeting efficiency targets.” NuclearCONNECT

23


Feature

Getting Innovation off the Drawing Board The majority of UK civil nuclear applied research and development capability currently lies within the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory, which seeks to deploy a range of nuclear technology to national and international markets through technical innovation and intellectual support. 24

NuclearCONNECT

T

he National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) Ltd is managed by the SercoBattelle-University of

Manchester (SBM) Partnership on behalf of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). An applied R&D organization operating on a commercial basis, it provides independent expertise and advice to government, regulators and industry. The laboratories currently employs 800 staff at 6 nationwide locations, with an annual turnover of ÂŁ76m. Around 80% of its clients are public sector, chiefly the NDA and the MOD; while 20% are private sector, mainly EDF and its subsidiary British Energy that owns and operates Britain's AGR nuclear power station fleet. NNL R&D Programmes encompass legacy waste and decommissioning; fuel and reactors; spent fuel and nuclear material management; waste processing,

characterisation of radiation hazards in a wide variety of scenarios. One such technology is HiRad, developed by the NNL in partnership with Tracerco Ltd (UK). HiRad is a small, novel, remotely operated radiation detector which uses a scintillating crystal and fibre optic cable to obtain radiation measurements from difficult to access or large process areas over a wide radiation range. The technology offers improved information about process operations through cost effective, responsive radiation level mapping, with reduced radiation exposure to the operator. HiRad's resistance to radiation enables it to be used in highly active waste processing and storage facilities. (i.e. thousands of Sieverts per hour) In addition, it is suited to low level radiation environments and underwater applications.

Characterisation and Electricity Metering.

The detector has been successfully deployed on the Highly Active Waste Vitrification Plant (WVP) on the Sellafield site. A single HiRad mapped the radiation intensities in part of the breakdown cell of the production line 1 in the WVP.

Evolving decommissioning challenges in the worldwide nuclear industry requires the development of innovative new technologies to enable the

Also developed by the NNL as part of its ongoing programme of investment in new technologies, RadBall has been in progress for several years. RadBall

storage and disposal. Over 60 project areas cover Laser Sampling, Carbon Capture, Reprocessing Technology, Steel Refinement, Hazard Detection and


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is a radiation detection device which provides 3D visualisation of radiation from areas where effective measurements have not been previously possible. It proves useful prior to decommissioning facilities where the quantity, location and type of contamination are often unknown. A small, non-electrical device, RadBall can be deployed into high radiation areas without the risk of damage or contamination to expensive equipment. About the size of tennis ball, its radiation sensitive polymer material changes colour when exposed to radiation, providing an accurate 3D radiation map of the subject area.

The NNL will license RadBall for use within the USA and the technology will later be deployed to the UK.

significant amounts of carbon dioxide emissions each year and reducing this is a key driver for the steel industry.

Innovation for the future includes Muon Visualisation Technology, currently under development to use naturally occurring cosmic muons to visualise the contents of drums, flasks and buildings where existing techniques are not possible. The potential of the technique has been modelled using advanced computing and the next stage for NNL is to create a prototype system to demonstrate the innovation. This is being developed in conjunction with Sellafield Ltd and draws on the expertise of the University of Glasgow.

The outline concept to use molten salts

Collaboration with key partners to bring the technology to maturity has been an important factor in RadBall's success. Evaluated by Savannah River National Laboratory, the device is suitable for use in hotcells, gloveboxes or other enclosed areas of high radiation and provides an innovative solution to many of the nuclear industry's characterisation challenges.

NDX Solutions is a newly created joint venture between NNL and PDX to deliver high efficiency mixing and misting technologies to the nuclear industry. Significant potential exists for the misting technique to be used for decontamination or fixing of contamination within operating or decommissioning facilities.

Final trials took place at Oak Ridge National Laboratory USA, in December 2010. Having defined the operating envelope of RadBall and proven its ability to detect, locate, quantify and characterise sources within a hotcell, the route is now clear for the commercialisation of the technology.

Another R&D project at an early stage is a Low CO2 Steelmaking Technology. NNL is investigating the potential to use a high temperature process involving molten salts to turn iron ore into solid iron, steel or specialist metals without the emission of large quantities of carbon dioxide. Steel making accounts for

to create an industrial process for the manufacture of iron or steel offers an alternative to the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking [BOS] process, allowing a greater recycling capability of scrap metal than is currently possible. The solution proposed is for a Molten Salt process to replace the traditional unit operations which use coke. The process is powered by electricity in a similar way to the existing electric arc furnaces. The principles of MS for low CO2 steel making have been patented by the NNL and are proven at the flowsheet level. The NNL has also developed and undertaken rig scale trials to test associated industrialisation technology, in equipment known as the molten salt dynamics rig, MSDR. Looking ahead, NNL is continuing to develop its extensive network of national and international partnerships with industry, academia and other national laboratories to deploy the best science to create fit for purpose solutions. For further details of these and innovative solutions from the National Nuclear Laboratory visit www.nnl.co.uk NuclearCONNECT

25


Diary of Events

DIARY of

EVENTS 2011 ■ New Build ● Decommissioning ▲ Energy Production ◆ General Science & Technology Social Environmental Training Informative

July Nuclear New Build 2011 5 - 6 July ■ Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London SW1 Organisers: NIA/NI/IMechE Tel: +44 (0) 20 8695 8223 E-mail: r.hayman@nuclearinst.com

NIA Decommissioning Working Group - 12 July ● Imperial College Organisers: NIA Tel: 020 7766 6642 E-mail: stephanie.mckenna@niauk.org

26

NuclearCONNECT

July The Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management Summer School 25 - 29 July ● Christ's College, Cambridge, UK Organisers: Informa Tel: 020 7017 5518 E-mail: energycustserv@informa.com Website: http://www.ibcenergy.com/KA0118NIA

August Nuclear Power Communications Planning, Policy and Crisis 1 - 2 August ◆ Washington, DC Organisers: EUCI Tel: 303-770-8800

The Rutherford Centennial Conference on Nuclear Physics 8-12 August ◆ The University of Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL Website: http://npg.york.ac.uk/RutherfordLect


Diary of Events

September Decommissioning & Radioactive Waste Management in the CEE 7 - 8 September ●

International Conference on Nuclear Criticality 2011 19 - 22 September ◆

Prague, Czech Republic Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 5518 Website: http://www.informaglobalevents.com/ event/decomradwasteCEE

Edinburgh Conference Centre Organisers: ICNC Website: www.informaglobalevents.com/ event/icnc2011

Technology & Innovation Exhibition - 8 September ◆

2nd Annual MENA Nuclear Construction Conference 26 - 27 September ◆

Sellafield, Cumbria Organisers: Nu Tech Associates Tel: 01946 695 554 E-mail: sales@nu-techassoc.co.uk Website: http://www.exhibitions4industry.com

Nuclear Learning Tour 12 - 21 September ◆ South of France Organisers: Areva Jean-Bernard ROULEAU - Projects and offers manager E-mail: areva-training@areva.com Website: http://nuclear-learning-tour.areva.com

World Nuclear Association Symposium 14 - 16 September ◆ Central Hall, Westminster Organisers: World Nuclear Association (WNA) Tel: 020 7451 1520 E-mail: deere@world-nuclear.org Website: http://www.wna-symposium.org

Le Royal Meridien Hotel, Dubai UAE Organisers: NEI Website: http://www.nuclearenergyinsider.com/mena/

Control and Instrumentation in Nuclear Installations 27 - 28 September ◆ Lancaster University Organisers: The Nuclear Institute Tel: 020 8695 8220 E-mail: r.hayman@nuclearinst.com Website: http://www.nuclearinst.com

All dates were correct at time of going to print, however these may be subject to change. Please check first with the organiser. If you have any dates you would like to display in our next issue October - December 2011, please email editor@theconnectseries.co.uk

NuclearCONNECT

27


Feature

UNDER THE SKIN OF Mike Nicholls Managing Director UK & Europe, PacTec EPS Ltd

WHAT BROUGHT YOU INTO THE INDUSTRY & YOUR CURRENT POSITION? My career has predominately been spent in the nuclear industry at Sellafield, where I served my apprenticeship in instrumentation, measurement and control. Over thirty odd years I have worked in many different areas of the site and gained extensive commissioning experience on several new facilities. Following a period away from the nuclear industry I returned into project management in early 2000, and continued for several years on project delivery of hazard reduction and asset care projects on some of the sites legacy facilities. I later moved into the supply chain project managing the delivery of multi-discipline design solutions in support of hazard reduction, asset care and site infrastructure projects across the Sellafield site, in addition to providing business development support. This experience has proved invaluable and with the addition of working in diverse industries such as the European Space Agency and Off-Shore gas production Holland, has brought me to my current position as Managing Director at PacTec.

WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE HAS BEEN THE MOST MEMORABLE? Difficult to say, as I take positives and learning from all the areas I have worked in, but it is probably the people I have met and worked alongside. I can look back to my apprentice days; the rewards you get from being involved with commissioning a new facility from construction completion through to 'active' operations; the project delivery on legacy facilities which is one of the 28

NuclearCONNECT

most difficult and frustrating areas to work, but this is where I say you earn 'your stripes' and determines if you have the resolve and endurance to delivery projects in this unforgiving environment. Having said all that, working in the European Space Agency environment was a massive culture exposure to all the European nationalities including Russians and Americans, so I do have some good memories and stories from that period.

WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR WORK DO YOU FIND MOST ENJOYABLE? Having worked in many areas and different industries including different cultures it must be meeting people. I do find people fascinating, even more so following the research I did for my dissertation for my project management degree, where my topic was associated with emotional

WHAT WAS THE MAIN CONTRAST TO THE UK OF YOUR CAREER ABROAD? I lived and worked in Holland for approximately two and half years, the firstly with the European Space Agency technology site, then as a commissioning engineer working on off-shore gas production platforms and finally for Fluor Daniel at their office near Amsterdam. Each industry obviously has its own differences to the working environment in the UK but probably the main contrast evident to me, especially with the Europeans was the work ethic, where they do appear to 'work to live'.

intelligence and the successful management of projects.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO HELP PACTEC ACHIEVE? I don't think there is any hope about it, we will expand and grow the business in the UK and into Europe to provide what are safe, environmentally friendly, fit for purpose and efficient solutions for the nuclear and other hazardous waste requirements that meet with or exceed regulatory requirements. From my engineering background I perceive the PacTec soft sided packaging and other products, or what I prefer to call


Feature

containers, to be engineered solutions

Measurement & Control by virtue

that have been developed and designed

of being a committee member for the

by a dedicated team to provide what are

West Cumbria branch. If I do have any

in my opinion the best fit for purpose

'spare' time it would be to get out on

solutions to many legacy issues, some

my Ducati motor cycle when the weather

have which have been developed with

permits and let my hair down so

the aid and support of universities.

to speak.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN?

WHAT SPORT DO YOU PARTICIPATE IN /WATCH THE MOST?

Over many years I will have been given advice from many people, often related to making mistakes as we all learn from our mistakes in life, but it is difficult to pinpoint one specific element of advice in the work environment. Throughout anyone's working life I suggest we all work with people and managers of different skill sets and abilities, and if there is one piece of advice that has a common thread it would be to listen. Listening skills is a common theme but every day I would say I see people who are 'hearing' what some one is saying but who are not listening.

Many years ago I used to play rugby league for a well known local amateur side and continue to be a huge fan of the sport and support my local teams. I am also a massive motor cycle racing fan having owned a motor bike from when I was 17 years old and a current owner.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

to innovative waste management solutions and challenge the 'norm' to improve the way we have been doing things to enhance safety for the public and environment.

IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT WHAT WOULD YOU BUY OR UNDERTAKE TOMORROW? Million dollar question! Obviously my family would come first especially my two daughters and four grandchildren. Happiness is something I wish for everyone across all cultures, but as we know money does not ensure happiness. Providing for charities or supporting

WHAT ARE YOUR AMBITIONS FOR THE FUTURE?

fundraising would also be a definite

My ambitions are to be successful with PacTec and grow and expand the business not only in the nuclear industry but in other diverse industries such as oil production. I believe at PacTec we have a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference in providing a key element

WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE 10 YEARS FROM NOW?

undertaking, especially where children are involved.

Working with PacTec of course, leading the company in the UK and Europe with an immense and diverse client portfolio.

I never have much of what I would call 'spare time'. Currently the majority of time is taken up between completing home DIY, spending time with my grand children, studies and trying to maintain some decent level of fitness. I am also an active member of the Institute of NuclearCONNECT

29


Feature

Nuclear safety How safe is safe in the UK ? An assessment of the implications of the Japanese nuclear crisis concludes there is no need to curtail the operations of nuclear plants in the UK, nor any significant gaps in our safety assessment principles, but lessons should be learnt.

hief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, Mike Weightman published the interim report requested by the Government within days of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of 11 March. He calls for action to be taken to learn from events at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power station.

C

His primary conclusion states "The extreme natural events that preceded the accident at Fukushima the magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent huge tsunami - are not credible in the UK. We are 1,000 miles from the nearest fault line and we have safeguards in place that protect against even very remote hazards. Our operating and proposed future reactor designs and technology are different to the type at the Fukushima plant.� and continues "But we are not complacent. Seeking to learn from events, and from new knowledge, both nationally and internationally, must 30

NuclearCONNECT

continue to be a fundamental feature of the safety culture of the UK nuclear industry.�

gaps in the scope or depth of the Safety

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate

in the licensing regime. However, one

Change Chris Huhne's assessment that

recommendation is for the Office of

the report reassured the Government

Nuclear Regulation to undertake a

new nuclear can be part of the future

formal review of these Safety

energy mix and provides 'the basis to

Assessment Principles, "to determine

continue to remove the barriers to

whether any additional guidance is

nuclear new build in the UK', is

needed, particularly for 'cliff-edge' effects"

welcomed by the nuclear supply chain.

after which it may be impossible to

Weightman identifies 25 recommended

prevent an accident situation worsening.

areas for review, by industry, Government

He highlighted that flooding risks need

or regulators, to determine if sensible

detailed consideration, and may require

and appropriate measures can further

special protection and changes to plant

improve safety in our nuclear industry.

layout, but this is unlikely to prevent the

Assessment Principles" on which UK regulation is based, or any weaknesses

The conclusions and recommendations

construction of new nuclear power plants.

are split between government and

There is no need to change current siting

industry which the Regulators expect

strategies. Government should approach

to take the "prime responsibility" for

the International Atomic Energy Agency

learning lessons as well as "ultimate

(IAEA), Weightman said, to ensure

responsibility for the safety of its

improved arrangements are in place

designs and operations.

for dissemination of information.

Weightman comments that analysis

And the UK specifically should look

of Fukushima "has not revealed any

again at emergency planning.


Feature

in the UK, with work on the design assessment of reactors, local consents and site preparation processes, application to the Infrastructure Planning Commission, recruiting highly skilled people and suppliers who will help deliver the project . On this as on all issues, we will not prejudge the final Weightman report. Horizon Nuclear Power welcomed its recognition of the strong safety culture in the UK nuclear industry. “We remain committed to putting safety first, and ensuring our proposals for new nuclear power stations at Wylfa and Oldbury reflect any lessons learned from events in Japan and the final report.”

The longest list of recommendations

(carbon dioxide for most UK reactors)

was for industry:

should be reviewed.

As well as re-confirming the design

The report praised industry for reacting

basis for flooding and extreme weather

responsibly and appropriately, displaying

events: industry should review its

leadership for safety and a strong safety

dependency on off-site infrastructure:

culture in its response to date.

and enhance self-sufficiency in accident

Commenting on the report, EDF

scenarios: The layouts of new and

Energy, and partner Centrica, pledged

proposed plants may need revision.

to implement all its recommendations.

Accident preparedness in terms of

Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz said it

emergency control, instrumentation

would provide valuable input into the

and communication set-ups may have to

process of continuous improvement and

be improved to meet accident sequences

enhance the strong safety performance

on long timescales. Operators will also

of EDF Energy's nuclear plants.

have to ensure they can cope in the face

“We undertook an internal review following Fukushima, checking back up systems and Emergency Plan review. We also began our longer term planning and put in place formal arrangements to ensure that any learnings from Japan are fed into our safety processes. We are in a position to begin implementing any recommendations.”

of severe and long lasting disruption offsite. Particular consideration needs to be given to "physical, organisational, behavioural, emotional and cultural aspects for workers having to take action on-site, especially over long periods." Bottom penetrations and other syphon risks should be reduced for any fuel ponds close to reactors, while the

and adds “We continue with plans to

need for additional cooling supplies

develop four new nuclear power stations

The interim report forms a work program for government, the regulator and industry. The responses to this, input related to efforts from theIAEA and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency - as well as from the European Commission's 'stress tests' - will feature in the final report. Weightman leads a fact-finding mission in Japan on behalf of the IAEA, which will help inform the final, more comprehensive 'lessons learned' report to be published in September. Additional measures were agreed in late May by the European Commission and European Nuclear Safety Regulators' Group (ENSREG), for a new risk and safety assessment of EU nuclear power plants . All 143 plants will be re-assessed using criteria embracing both natural and man made hazards such as airplane crashes, but currently excluding terrorism. A three-step process will involve Plant Operators answering a stress tests questionnaire by 31st October; National reports produced by the Regulator checking questionnaire credibility; Reviewing of national reports by multinational teams.

NuclearCONNECT

31


Law

Lessons learned to enhance

Global Safety Japan - the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Fact Finding Mission and Lessons Learned to Enhance Global Safety ollowing the catastrophic natural disaster in Japan and ensuing situation at the Fukushima-Daichii nuclear plant, the Secretary of State, Chris Huhne asked UK Chief Nuclear Inspector, and Head of the newly established UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), Dr Weightman, to report on the events' implications and lessons to be learned for the UK.

F

Dr Weightman's interim report (to highlight immediate concerns) published on 18th May 2011, provided the re-assuring conclusion that both existing UK plants and new build designs were sufficiently safe and, pending the final report due in September, there appeared no reason to curtail UK nuclear operations. Safety, the universal primary priority of nuclear energy, is under constant review and the building blocks for UK new build, namely ratification of planning guidance on energy infrastructure, and assessments for new reactor siting and design, will, the Secretary of State confirmed, continue to be progressed in parallel with nuclear as part of the 'energy mix in the future, providing there is no public subsidy'. In contrast, Germany continuing to reverse its policy on nuclear energy, has opted instead to progress fossil and renewable power generation whilst accelerating the phasing out of its nuclear power plants. Switzerland, with five reactors on-line, has also been re-evaluating its planned programme of three new plants. In light of Fukushima the long-term global consequences for nuclear power are yet to be determined, however, public confidence and social acceptance have clearly been affected. Nonetheless, the key rationale underpinning the “nuclear renaissance” appear unchanged - soaring global energy demands, climate change, fossil fuel issues, and energy security. It is unlikely the nuclear option will no longer be an important component in global energy generation, as such, attention needs to focus on improving nuclear safety in both legacy and new build arenas to address public concerns. 32

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On 1st June, two weeks after the release of Dr Weightman's interim report, an IAEA convened team of international nuclear safety experts headed also by Dr Weightman, completed a preliminary assessment of the safety issues linked with the accident (www.iaea.org). The summary assessment sets-out preliminary conclusions and identifies lessons learned in three broad areas: external hazards, severe accident management and emergency preparedness. The final report will be delivered to the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety, 20-24 June at the IAEA in Vienna. In presenting the summary assessment, Dr Weightman commented: 'I appreciate the high level of cooperation and access that our team has received from Japan. The devastating natural events and subsequent accident at Fukushima have provided a unique opportunity for learning. It is of fundamental importance for all with responsibility for nuclear safety across the world to seek to learn from this unique event.' One of the main preliminary findings and lessons learned is that “nuclear regulatory systems should address extreme events adequately, including their periodic review, and should ensure that regulatory independence and clarity of roles are preserved in all circumstances in line with IAEA Safety Standards.” Japan has a longstanding nuclear programme. In 2010, 54 reactors were operational with an installed capacity of 48.847 GWe, generating 29% of the country's electricity, and nine operational research reactors. In terms of legislation and regulation Japan is considered as having a mature nuclear framework. The framework for the regulation of nuclear activities is established by the Atomic Energy Basic Law (No. 186, 1955) which states its objectives as securing future energy and promoting nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. This Basic Law sets the framework, through separate acts, for the regulation of specific nuclear activities - for example control of fuel


Law

and reactors, radiological protection, and compensation for nuclear

victims due to contamination of crops, fish stocks and beaches

damage - and creates the Atomic Energy Commission and Nuclear

if linked to the incident.

Safety Commission. However, in light of the accident and as touched

and Two Cabinet Orders adopted for the implementation of the

This legislative approach is not mirrored in the UK, where liability is strictly channelled to the operator. DECC has just concluded a public consultation on the issue (implementing amendments to the Paris and Brussels Conventions). It is likely that operators will in the future need to maintain a statutory level of insurance cover or financial security likely to rise to Euro 1.2 billion over the coming years. In effect operators will take on an additional 'tier' of nuclear liability previously underwritten by the government. For new build, the government is however keen to eliminate any suggestion of being seen to subsidise the nuclear industry.

two Acts (Act Nos. 44 and 45, as amended).

Interestingly, India has recently passed its Civil Liability for Nuclear

Consistent with international nuclear instruments, liability is

Damage Act 2010 which also omits the operator from liability in

channelled to the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant

case of 'grave natural disasters'. Under such circumstances the

(TEPCO) which is required to hold insurance to a specified amount

government would step in to compensate victims but, contrary to

and a government indemnity of the same amount which would apply

the international norm, it could then under Article 17(b) (an unlimited

in the event of an earthquake or tsunami (uncovered by insurance).

non-contractual right of recourse against suppliers), and Article 46

There is an exemption from liability in the case of “damage caused

(remedies under 'other law') seek damages from the nuclear

by a grave natural disaster of an exceptional character”, in which

supply chain if at fault.

case “the Government shall take the necessary measures to relieve

In conclusion, the issue of nuclear liability is likely to attract increased

victims and to prevent the damage from spreading”. This approach

interest in light of the accident, including the need for a global regime.

was envisaged in the original 1963 Vienna Convention on Civil

There is a clear need to strengthen nuclear safety, and clarify the role

Liability for Nuclear Damage (and the Annex to the 1997 Convention

of independent regulation. More attention needs to be paid to

on Supplementary Compensation of Nuclear Damage not yet in

reducing the risks of any future nuclear accidents, however remote,

force) but not in the amended 1997 version of the Vienna Convention.

and to mitigate the consequences of such accidents. Equally, simple,

It is understood that the Japanese government is setting up

effective systems need to be embedded to ensure victims receive the

a scheme making initial compensation payments, with TEPCO

prompt support and assistance they need.

repaying the money out of future revenues. The same as for the

If you would like to register to receive Burges Salmon's free

1999 Tokai-mura incident, it is possible that compensation would be

nuclear law e-bulletin, or would like to suggest nuclear-related

available to victims suffering economic loss through so-called “rumor

subjects for future articles please contact Gareth on direct line -

damage” such as for stigma-related economic loss suffered by

0117 307 6920 or email - gareth.davies@burges-salmon.com

upon in the preliminary assessment, it would appear that further work may be needed on regulatory independence. The legislation regulating civil liability for nuclear damage embodies principles embedded in international nuclear liability instruments, and is contained in four main legislative instruments: The Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damage (Act No 147 of 1961, as amended by Act No. 19 of 2009); The Act on Indemnity Agreements for Compensation of Nuclear Damage (Act No. 148, as amended);

NuclearCONNECT

33


Training

COMMUNICATING Difficult Decisions

A

s suggested in the first part of this article, difficult decisions can be very hard to make. Sadly the difficulty does

In this second of two articles Trainer

Difficult decisions do not get easier once they have been made. Suspicion and intrigue always seem to surround difficult decisions. Is the employer using the recession to get rid of the people s/he does not like? Are they keeping only the less expensive or least assertive staff?

and Conference Speaker Frank Newberry

In the case of redundancies there is

(pictured above right) considers how

also 'survivor guilt' to contend with.

we can respond positively to the challenge

Those who have kept their jobs (for the

of communicating difficult decisions.

time being) feel bad about their workmates

Sadly, as the UK economy slowly moves

losing theirs. Their ex-workmates even turn

out of recession organisations in most

up at work or social events wearing their

sectors continue to make difficult and

'victim' status for all to see. Meanwhile

unpopular decisions. Reading this, you too

the guilty survivors buy them a drink and

may have recently experienced, or at least

wonder if they will be next for the chop.

not end when the

decision is made. Communicating the decisions made to the people affected by them can be a real trial for everyone concerned.

34

NuclearCONNECT

know of pay freezes, reduced hours in which to do the same work, friends or relatives that have been made redundant and so on.


Training People still 'bottle out' when communicating difficult decisions Having experienced both being made redundant and having to make other people redundant it is with concern that I view the extent to which people still 'bottle out' when communicating difficult decisions. It is as if supervisors and managers are not aware that those still in work, are judging them by their performance in these difficult situations. If bosses want their work teams to do the same work (or even more work) with less people then they need to be seen to be handling these situations competently and fairly.

How bad news is being delivered You may have read the news stories last year about redundancy notices being texted to people, or even the recent survey that

2. Be empathetic, but do not say things like "I know how you feel," "I wish I didn't have to do this," or "This isn't my decision" because if you're delivering the bad news, you're accountable and need to support the decision of management. 3. Lastly, plan your meeting. Don't wing it. Write down what you intend to say to make sure you cover all the key points. Always be firm yet professional and you will be able to get the right message across'. You may find it more practical and costeffective to have group meetings followed by one-to-one sessions with those involved. You will need to factor in that well before the facts emerge there will be rumours about what is happening and who is to go. Some of it will be surprisingly accurate. A lot of it will be quite wrong but people will believe it in the absence of an official statement from someone they trust.

revealed the primary methods used by organisations to deliver bad news to be: 29%

By e-mail message

19%

Face-to-face meetings with direct supervisors

18%

Face-to-face meetings with senior managers

12%

Letter or memo from senior managers

8%

Internal employee website

6% 3.5%

Teleconference/videoconference Organisation newsletter

0.5%

None

4%

Other

It is rather sobering, to see the number of organisations that let the internet deliver their bad news for them. Russell Grossman (a senior manager at the BBC) put it best for me when he said: "Difficult news is best received from people

Difficult news is best received from people you trust… the more leaders cultivate trust when times are good, the more they will reap the benefits when the cream turns sour.

you trust … the more leaders cultivate trust when times are good, the more they will reap the benefits when the cream turns

The gossip had taken hold

sour."

well before we knew

For the purposes of this article I will

The problem I had when I was required

assume that you may well be asked

to make people redundant was that the

(like I was) to have face-to-face meetings

gossip had taken hold well before we

with people to give them the bad news.

knew precisely who was going to be

Some good advice on what to say was

made redundant.

given by a man called Bob Kustka, (formerly with the Gillette Corporation).

The situation I faced is likely to recur and most people I have spoken to do

He said there are a few things to remember

not like prolonged periods of uncertainly.

when delivering a difficult message.

They are already on their guard and have

1. 'First, whenever people receive negative

been so for some time now.

information, there is a tendency to go into

I spoke to one person who is dealing

'selective listening' mode. This means you

with his uncertainty by changing jobs to

will need to choose your words carefully

go somewhere more secure - even though

so your message will be understood.

it will be at a lower level and for less pay.

Many people experience fear as a motivating force The gossip, the rumours, the 'hoping for the best' and 'fearing the worst' is a very natural reaction but we need not let it sabotage what we should we be trying to do.

What should we be trying to do? Well I contend that we should be seeking to maintain morale and motivation - at a difficult time - so that work performance does not suffer. Many people experience fear as a motivating force. They will actually work harder when they feel insecure in the hope that their employer will not let good workers go. Here then is an acronym I like to use to help smooth the transition of changes in the workplace and minimise the gossip and the rumours. It is formed from the word CHANGE. COMMUNICATE FREQUENTLY Gossip never sleeps so have weekly updates on the ongoing situation at work. HELP UNDERSTANDING Put it in writing, put dates on the changes, and check understanding regularly. ANSWER QUESTIONS Put FAQ's (frequently asked questions) in writing, be patient as people come to terms with the bad news, sensitive repetition will help people to understand. NEVER BE CYNICAL Put up, or shut up. If you do not agree with the changes then get the answers you need to be able to communicate the bad news effectively. If you are cynical it gives everyone else permission to be the same, and then things could get much worse. GET IDEAS Ask for ideas. People may be much closer to the problems than you are. Ask team members what they can do to help the transition to succeed. Set a good example yourself and then ask staff to do their best. EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS Get the team engaged in the process of change by explaining the benefits i.e. the organisation survives, the team pulls together, we help each other, efficiencies and economies emerge. Finally, good luck communicating those difficult decisions. I hope you never need it. Frank has been coaching and training individuals and groups for over 20 years. If you need further help with communicating difficult decisions you can reach Frank via the contact tab of his personal website which is www.franknewberry.com. NuclearCONNECT

35


DO YOU NEED A DOCTOR? DOES YOUR TEAM NEED A DOCTOR? If you were unwell and parts of your body were underperforming you might go and see your doctor. If your work team was underperforming would you ignore the problem and hope it went away?

Apparently 50% of work teams in the UK would do nothing! Which 50% are you and your work team in? If all this sounds familiar? It does not have to be this way.

You can call the team doctor and get things fixed! Attend one of Team Doctor Frank Newberry’s ‘Excellence at Work’ Seminars. Give your team an excellent training experience. Just contact Frank at 01908 520202 or visit

franknewberry.com Clients include: Apple, BT and Motorola . has helped us to create “ Frank an excellent team foundation. With his guidance we have developed a solid, motivated staff of professionals

Gordon Irvine, Deal, Kent Newberry is a fantastic “ Frank speaker and advisor who delivers with such personal friendliness, flair and charisma … I learned things I will never forget

Stephen McGuigan, Beverley, North Yorkshire. 36

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