- Site: Hinkley Point C
- IR number: 20-016
- Date: October 2020
- LC numbers: 19
Executive summary
Purpose of Intervention
In accordance with the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s (ONR’s) Hinkley Point C (HPC) Construction Inspection Plan, ONR performs a series of planned compliance inspections of identified licence conditions (LC) and other applicable legislation, to ensure that NNB Generation Company (HPC) Ltd (NNB GenCo), is meeting its legal requirements.
This intervention was a compliance inspection to assess whether NNB GenCo and its contractors are ensuring that Covid 19 measures remain effective across the HPC site and that the site is prepared for the winter period.
Interventions Carried Out by ONR
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) requires that employers “ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”
ONR carried out the following HSWA Covid 19 control measures intervention:
- A one day intervention to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of NNB GenCo’s and its contractor’s arrangements to control the risks associated with Covid 19.
The following guidance was used in this intervention:
- ONR-GEN-GD-025 - Inspector Guidance on the Regulation of COVID-19 Risk Control Measures
Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate
N/A as this was not a safety systems inspection.
Key Findings, Inspector's Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made
Adequacy of Covid 19 control measures
NNB GenCo and its contractor’s arrangements to manage the risk from Covid 19 have evolved to ensure compliance with revised government guidance.
NNB GenCo presented appropriate evidence of sharing learning related to the management of Covid 19 and of assurance activities undertaken by a sample of its main contractors demonstrating ongoing oversight of the implementation of Covid 19 control measures.
Overall, it was evident that since my August visit to site standards had further improved giving confidence that the improvements and reinforcement activities undertaken by NNB GenCo and its contractors were being effective thus helping the site prepare for the potentially more challenging winter period.
Conclusion of Intervention
Adequacy of Covid 19 control measures
I judge that an inspection rating of Green (no formal action) is appropriate for Covid 19 (HSWA). This is because I found that NNB GenCo and its contractors were appropriately managing the risk from Covid 19 and were compliant with their legal duties.