UK: Shortage of safety inspectors threatens nuclear power plans

Britain's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is battling to recruit up to 50 inspectors to cope with its existing workload in the nuclear industry and the vital assessment of the reactors being put forward to meet government plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations.

HSE said its nuclear arm had some 160 inspectors but needed another 30 to bring it up to full complement to meet the workload on existing nuclear sites. It also needs a further 20 inspectors for the teams working on the generic design assessments of the next generation of nuclear reactors.

A recruitment drive for inspectors is under way but it is facing fierce competition for scarce skills. The main source of staff with the necessary skills is the industry itself or former naval personnel who have worked on Britain's nuclear-powered submarines. Industry sources said people with nuclear skills were being offered signing-on fees or pay rises of up to £20,000 a year to switch employers.

Mike Graham, national secretary of the Prospect trade union, warned that the government would have to be more competitive in terms of inspectors' salaries. "They are basically going to have to breach public-sector pay restraint or else nuclear new build will be threatened," he said

The government wants to have the first of a new generation of nuclear power stations on line by 2017 as Britain seeks to replace its existing and ageing nuclear fleet as well as several coal-fired stations and there are concerns that the shortage of inspectors could threaten the timetable.

A report for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) by the National Metals Technology Centre (Namtec) says there are serious problems to overcome. "Delays in the completion of the process and the possible knock-on effects of delays in the planning and licensing processes would affect confidence throughout the supply chain," says the report by Stephen Court.

An HSE spokesman said that while it wanted to recruit more inspectors to assess the new reactor designs, they were needed on a progressive basis.

The shortage of inspectors is only one of a series of issues facing the new-build programme. The Namtec report, The Supply Chain for a UK Nuclear New Build Programme, identifies a range of weaknesses in Britain, including the lack of UK-based engineering firms with atomic experience. There are none here that can produce the forgings needed to manufacture reactor pressure vessels, it warns.

(Source: Guardian.co.uk)