An internal hazard is a danger to plant or safety related structures that originates within the site boundary and is due to an initiating event over which the site operator has some form of control. Internal hazards include internal flooding, fire, toxic gas release, dropped loads and explosion/missiles.
Internal hazards assessment involves assessing safety case submissions from site operators; submissions that relate to the potential for hazards to affect safety-related plant and equipment. As part of undertaking an assessment of the adequacy of a plant safety case against the challenges of internal hazards, you must be able to understand the safety arguments presented in the safety case and be able to identify key areas, or potential omissions. Internal hazards are often caused by internal faults within the plant or can be consequences of other challenges, including external hazards, so internal hazards assessors often work in conjunction with colleagues from other engineering or scientific disciplines within ONR.
One key internal hazard for all nuclear sites is fire; assessments of how fires might threaten nuclear plant and safety equipment, and the adequacy of the measures put in place to prevent the spread of fires and their consequences are of paramount importance. This is complementary to ONR’s regulatory oversight of nuclear site health and safety hazards and life fire safety risks, so the different roles are corralled within a joint team for better regulatory decision making.
Internal hazards assessors must also be capable of undertaking site inspections. These inspections will confirm the validity of claims made within safety cases, including assessing the adequacy of maintenance activities on important safety equipment.
We need highly competent individuals who can combine their knowledge of internal hazards with experience of safety case production, assessment, and physical inspection; individuals who can identify potential vulnerabilities and shortfalls of plant and equipment to the effects of internal hazards. Alternatively, you may be an experienced process engineer who, with moderate training, could work as an internal hazards specialist assessor.
- Do you have experience in the assessment of complex safety systems designed with multiple lines of protection?
- Do you have a sound understanding of hazard identification methods and the ability to present safety arguments?
- Are you familiar with methods such as HAZOP, HAZAN, Fault Tree and FMEA in the context of Internal Hazards?
If you can answer 'yes' to these questions, then you may just be the expert we're looking for when we have positions available.
Experience
We are looking for people with specialist knowledge of assessment and inspection within the following areas:
- Protection and Detection systems;
- Steam and Hot Gas Release;
- Missiles and Explosions;
- Internal flooding;
- Nuclear fire safety; and
- Process engineering (with a willingness to be trained as an internal hazards specialist).
In addition to the specific internal hazards mentioned above, we are looking for individuals who can also demonstrate a good general knowledge of internal hazards.
Further information relating to ONR's assessment of internal hazards can be found within our Safety Assessment Principles.
How to apply
Please visit our recruitment portal.