Sellafield Ltd

Capenhurst's decommissioning progress and safety record praised following visit by Nuclear Decommissioning Authority CEO

Capenhurst’s nuclear clean-up and safety performance has been praised by the chief executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which is the owner of the decommissioning site and the body in charge of UK civil nuclear clean-up.

Following a recent visit to the site, Dr Ian Roxburgh, said, “It was a pleasure to visit Capenhurst and at first hand see such a dynamic approach to hazard reduction and decommissioning. The progress they have made since my last visit is remarkable. The enthusiasm that employees displayed for health and safety is infectious.”

During the visit, Dr Roxburgh met the site’s lead team and also the safety representatives that have led the site’s hugely successful Safety First programme, which is responsible for delivering its world-class safety performance.

Phil Malem, Head of site at Capenhurst, said, “Our ambition is for Capenhurst to be a flagship NDA site and we were happy to promote our achievements in clean-up and safety to Dr Roxburgh.

“Having just completed the biggest demolition on a UK nuclear site, and passed 1,000 days without a lost time accident, we’re focused on achieving that status when we complete our clean-up programme in 2009.”

The site, which is managed and operated by Sellafield Ltd on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, housed the UK’s first uranium enrichment plant and is scheduled to become the first UK nuclear site to complete its clean-up programme and in the process is creating a blueprint for other decommissioning sites to use.