The Office for Nuclear Regulation has issued an Improvement Notice to Sellafield Ltd that requires improvements to be made in its Principal Contractor arrangements for Construction Design and Management.
The Notice was issued in response to a significant electric cable strike incident in September 2018 during construction activities on the Fellside Steam Generating Plant. It requires improvements to be made in Sellafield Ltd’s Principal Contractor arrangements for Construction Design and Management and relates specifically to construction activities in the proximity of underground high voltage electrical cables.
Dr Mina Golshan, Deputy Chief Inspector and Director of ONR's Sellafield Decommissioning Fuel and Waste Division, said: “This incident involved damage to a high voltage underground electric cable during excavation works. Although the incident did not result in an injury, it had the potential to impact the health and safety of workers working in the vicinity.
"The Notice requires Sellafield Ltd to make improvements ensuring that risks arising from excavation work on the site are controlled and managed appropriately."
Sellafield Ltd must comply with the requirements of the Notice by 26 April, 2019.
* The ONR Improvement Notice relates specifically to a breach in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 - Regulation 13 “Duties of a principal contractor in relation to health and safety at the construction phase.”