Every year, nearly 2,000 entrants vie to achieve the highest possible accolade in what is the UK’s longest-running health and safety industry awards.
In its latest round of safety awards, RoSPA – the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents – has recognised safety performance of teams and contractors working at Sellafield.
Teams in our legacy ponds have received gold awards – a seventh consecutive year for the Pile Fuel Storage Pond and the fifth consecutive year for the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond.
Both programmes received these safety awards for working hard to ensure our teams get home safely to their families at the end of every working day.
Legacy ponds environmental health and safety manager, Andrew Kelly, said:
This is a wonderful accomplishment and showcases the hard work we all do on a day to day basis to keep everyone safe.
This award can only be achieved by us all putting safety as the number one priority in any task we do. This year we have had to adapt and adhere to the new COVID-19 arrangements but this is always hand in hand with nuclear, radiological, conventional and environmental safety, not superseding it.
Teams in Remediation received a RoSPA Gold Award, their third successive gold award, for health and safety performance during 2019.
Remediation teams are responsible for a wide range of high-profile, and potentially dangerous decommissioning work across the site, including the removal of the Windscale Pile Chimney and the First Generation Reprocessing Plant stack, decommissioning of former finishing lines, as well as the demolition of facilities and buildings we no longer need.
At the same time, the department is responsible for alpha and beta gamma waste management and the operation of waste management facilities across the site.
David Connolly, remediation operating unit head, said:
I’d like to congratulate all teams who entered and picked up awards this year. I thank all our teams and supply chain colleagues for their continuing efforts towards keeping safe and secure. It’s important we all remain focused on all hazards in our workplaces to protect ourselves and others, and our environment.
Our contractors have picked up many awards, some on their first time of entry and others have built on many years of success with Order of Distinction and President’s Awards, recognising consecutive gold awards for many years.
Jacobs Field Services (JFS) is one of many contractors to pick up prestigious awards for their work at Sellafield.
Chris Thompson, health and safety lead for JFS, said:
We are delighted to have received a President’s Award. This is our 14th consecutive gold award which is an achievement the company are very proud of.
In these unpresented and challenging times, it is fantastic to see so many contractor fraternity members being recognised for their outstanding safety performance at Sellafield. JFS have numerous collaborations/JVs; positively communicating and sharing best practice helps make the site safer and stronger.
Cumbria Nuclear Solutions Ltd (CNSL) picked up their first RoSPA award – a gold.
Jack Tomlinson, CNSL HSE lead, said:
Health and safety goes to the heart of the way our business is run and shows an ambitious approach to reducing accidents and safeguarding health – it’s a strong symbol to remind us all that our primary purpose is to put people to work safely in the nuclear industry.
This year RoSPA held a virtual awards ceremony to recognise all award winners.
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