Executive summary
Date(s) of inspection:
October 2025
Aim of inspection
The aim of the inspection was to sample how EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Limited (NGL) were managing health and safety risks during the statutory outage at Heysham 1. The inspection allowed ONR to sample EDF Energy NGL processes for managing site health and safety risks present during an outage. The inspection did not focus on one specific risk, however it sampled a number of work activities and review how they are managed.
Subject(s) of inspection
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations - Rating: Green
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
The inspection was targeted at how EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Limited (NGL) are managing health and safety risks during a statutory outage at Heysham 1 power station. The inspection involved a day and a half on site. This time was spent out on station with the industrial safety engineers as well as attending the integrated safety team (IST) meeting at the start and end of the day.
It was identified that there is an increased risk to individuals from site health and safety risks during statutory outages due to the type of activities taking place such as lifting, welding, confined space work, work at height and the increased number of individuals working on station. Which can be up to 1500 at the peak of an outage
The time on plant was spent at those areas were work was taking place that posed nuclear site health and safety risks. This included:
- The circulating water (CW) Pump house;
- The turbine hall;
- The radiologically controlled area (RCA); and
- The de-aerator building.
The team at station were able to demonstrate through the course of the visit that they have processes in place to ensure that leaders spend time in the field, there is good communication with the workforce and activities take to place to monitor health and safety performance.
Conclusion
I judge that Heysham 1 have adequate arrangements in place to monitor the health and safety performance during the statutory outage. The industrial safety engineers demonstrably spend time on site throughout the outage. This was sampled both during inspection, but also through condition reports raised by the industrial safety engineers prior to the inspection date.
The team were able to articulate their biggest risks on site and why these risks were there. They were also able to demonstrate how they would expect such risks to be controlled. It was observed that more could be done to consider and promote the effects of health risk on individuals working during the outage.
Heysham 1 have also been able to demonstrate a number of observations that have been carried out throughout the course of the outage by a variety of different people. This provides reassurance that engagement with the workforce is high.
It was also observed that at the time of the sample the outage did not appear to be rushed or hectic, of the activities sampled they appeared to be on the whole well thought out and carried out with an appropriate level of consideration of site health and safety risks.
Based on the areas sampled I judge that a green rating can be applied to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, with a particular focus on the monitoring of the preventative and protective measures as identified within Regulation 5.