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GMB union says urgent action needed to tackle safety concerns at Sellafield

Guardian investigation has revealed areas that need attention at nuclear site in Cumbria

Guardian,   Alex Lawson and Anna Isaac, 19 Dec 23

The GMB trade union has called on the government and nuclear authorities to take “urgent action” to address concerns over safety at Sellafield.

The union has written to the energy minister, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Sellafield’s chief executive to demand greater investment into keeping the 11,000 employees at the vast nuclear rubbish dump in Cumbria safe.

Earlier this month, the Guardian revealed a catalogue of concerns over safety at the sprawling 6 sq km (2 sq mile) site in north-west England.

Sources familiar with risk reports at the site have said they showed that more than 100 safety problems are a matter of serious regulatory concern. They include fire safety deficiencies such as a lack of functioning alarms in parts of the site that contain radioactive material. There have been work stoppages due to a lack of suitably qualified staff trained in nuclear safety and increasing numbers of contamination and radiation protection incidents

The issues emerged in Nuclear Leaks, a year-long Guardian investigation into problems spanning cyber hacking and toxic workplace culture at Sellafield, which also revealed the site has a worsening leak from a huge silo of radioactive waste.

The issues emerged in Nuclear Leaks, a year-long Guardian investigation into problems spanning cyber hacking and toxic workplace culture at Sellafield, which also revealed the site has a worsening leak from a huge silo of radioactive waste.

GMB, which represents tens of thousands of workers across the energy industry, said it was “deeply concerned” by the reports of leaks and cybersecurity failings at the site.

GMB national secretary Andy Prendergast said that its members at Sellafield had been raising concerns over a string of problems for years. These included a “lack of training and competence among staff, inadequate safety procedures and a culture of fear and intimidation”.

“GMB has repeatedly raised concerns over safety and staffing levels, which are mainly due to turnover and the age and demographic of the workforce,” Prendergast wrote.

A senior industry source has said that a hardcore of longstanding Sellafield employees who are resistant to change have been nicknamed “We Bees” – short for “we be here when you be gone”. Several sources have cited the area’s insular community and reliance on Sellafield for well-paid employment as a barrier to change.

In his letter to Claire Coutinho, secretary of state for energy security and net zero, which was also sent to Sellafield’s chief executive, Euan Hutton, and the NDA chief, David Peattie, Prendergast called for the trio to take “urgent action to address these concerns”.

In response to the Guardian’s reports, Coutinho wrote to Peattie this month saying allegations about failings in cybersecurity, site safety and workplace culture at Sellafield were “serious and concerning” and needed “urgent attention”.

Her intervention followed the revelation that Sellafield was hacked by groups linked to China and Russia and that the industry regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation, had put the site into “significantly enhanced attention” for cybersecurity……………………………………. more https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/dec/19/gmb-union-says-urgent-action-needed-to-tackle-safety-concerns-at-sellafield

December 20, 2023 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized