Executive summary
Date(s) of inspection
- June 2026
Aim of inspection
This inspection enabled ONR to sample work activities taking place at EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Limited (NGL) Heysham B (HYB) to judge whether:
- NGL arrangements for risk assessments, as required under The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, were being appropriately implemented at HYB power station.
- Health and safety risks are controlled and supervised by suitably qualified and experienced persons.
This inspection was conducted in response to intelligence from reported health and safety incidents and near misses that have indicated potential weaknesses in the implementation of health and safety risk assessments.
Subject(s) of inspection
- Health & Safety at Work Act - Rating: Not rated
- LC 26 - Control and supervision of operations - Rating: Not rated
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations - Rating: Amber
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
This inspection targeted NGL work processes for assessing industrial safety risks during the planning of tasks. The inspection was held over two days on site. The scope consisted of discussions with work specifiers and work order card approvers, also known as Authorised Person Safety Assessment (APSA).
The work specification process was sampled by looking at a previous task that had been specified with the work specifier explaining how they had produced the risk assessments for a task, and how they reduced risk so far as is reasonably practicable.
The process for new tasks being carried out at HYB was more robust than planned preventative maintenance tasks which, once they are in the work management system remain there until the task is carried out. This may be on a repeating basis. Planned preventative maintenance tasks can be carried out without any review since the task was initially specified, which can be up to 10 years ago.
Time was spent in the field to understand how those staff carrying out the work were made aware of risks to their health and safety. This identified instances where individuals carrying out work were unaware of baseline risk assessments or how they related to the tasks that they were carrying out. We also observed that a supervisor conducting a pre job brief was unable to locate a specific baseline risk assessment on the NGL management system and was unaware that amendments had been made following a recent review. It also identified an inconsistent approach to the use of point of work risk assessments and an inadequate understanding of how they were to be carried out.
We also identified that equipment had been brought onto the HYB site without NGL being appropriately aware of its uses, specifically an ISO container that, prior to intervention, was to be used for welding without a fire risk assessment being completed.
Conclusion
Of the areas sampled, ONR identified shortfalls within the work management process which had the potential to result in staff carrying out tasks without awareness of the control measures used to protect their health and safety. There was a shortfall in relation to individuals not being adequately aware of baseline risk assessments and how they related to tasks that they were carrying out. A level 3 regulatory issue (RI) has been raised to track and bring about improvement in the HYB arrangements to ensure that employees are adequately informed of the potential risks they are exposed to for the tasks they undertake. The RI will also require HYB to implement arrangements to monitor their employees understanding of risks associated with the tasks they carry out.
We also identified that the work management process allows for planned preventative maintenance tasks to be carried out without a review of the risk assessments. Maintenance tasks were found to be carried out with outdated risk assessments, which by definition are not suitable and sufficient. HYB's position is that they are compliant with NGL's corporate arrangements. Therefore, this shortfall will be followed up through ONRs oversight of the corporate arrangements. The RI raised will ensure that staff carrying out work at HYB are adequately briefed on task specific risk assessments, including the relevant control measures and any updates to the existing risk assessments.
Based on the above findings, we judged that an inspection rating of Amber (Seek Improvement) is appropriate with respect to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
ONR has previously raised an RI to NGL at corporate level. This enforcement was raised to bring about improvement in the fleetwide risk assessment arrangements. A further advice letter will be forwarded to the NGL Health and Safety fleet lead to ensure findings from this inspection are included in the wider review and improvements.