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Q: Could you briefly explain your current role and involvement in nuclear lifting?
I’m a nuclear safety inspector for ONR specialising in human and organisational factors. Therefore, my role, along with my colleagues, is to consider how well the Human Factor (HF) and its impact on nuclear safety has been addressed by licensees or requesting parties within their engineering and organisational systems design or operations.
Q: What is the number one challenge facing lifting engineers working in nuclear environments at the moment?
The sophistication in technology that can potentially be applied to nuclear lifts and potentially reduce reliance upon the human operator has increased in the last 20 years. However, closer scrutiny can reveal complex human factors issues in the design or operation of that technology that can be difficult to address and so clearly demonstrate the likely level of risk reduction in the resulting lifting system. In addition, the British nuclear industry has a considerable legacy of lifting systems some of which are 40 or 50 years old.
Whether state-of-the-art or legacy, there are explicit and implicit claims upon the human to deliver nuclear safety. I reflect that it is well over 25 years since I started to provide HF inputs to nuclear lifting systems designs and their assessment. However the human factors challenges essentially remain the same and the effectiveness in assessing them and incorporating appropriate features in design has not progressed as well as it might over that time.
Q: Where do you see there being significant developments in lifting technologies over the next five years?
Forward prediction is a most imprecise art and, of necessity, the design and safety assessment of nuclear lifting systems is inherently conservative. Accordingly, I would not expect much to change in practice within the coming five years. However, there are marked differences between different system designs and operating strategies. Therefore, my hope for the next five years is that there will be far greater systematic sharing of in the operational experience of nuclear lifts – what goes right and what goes wrong or nearly goes wrong – so that the human factors affecting nuclear safety are better and more consistently addressed by safety assessment, equipment design and operation.
Q: What are you most looking forward to by attending and presenting at Nuclear Lifting 2018?
I see this as a valuable forum for sharing experience and learning from the experience of others and,
About Nuclear Lifting 2018
Discover engineering solutions to the technical and environmental challenges facing those conducting high risk lifting at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ 7th Nuclear Lifting Seminar - the only event of its kind dedicated to lifting projects in the nuclear industry.
Attend this event to explore long term strategies, unique safety cases and cost-effective design that meet regulated standards. Furthermore, understand how best to conduct complex and high risk lifts on decommissioning, operational and new build nuclear sites.
For further information and to book, visit www.imeche.org/nuclearlifting2018.