Executive summary
- Date(s) of inspection: November 2024
Aim of inspection
Assessment of NRS systems and governance for the management of asset including ageing and obsolescence within the site context and future strategy.
Subject(s) of inspection
- LC15 - Periodic Review - Rating: Green
- LC17 - Management systems - Rating: Green
- LC28 - Examination, inspection, maintenance and testing - Rating: Green
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
The NRS mission is essentially the phasing out of unproductive assets in a coordinated and controlled manner ensuring that the necessary resources i.e., asset, financial and human, are available at all times during the process to maintain adequate sites safety and security. To this effect the understanding of asset ageing and obsolescence should be driving the process and adequate and understandable information must be available in support to the decision making and prioritisation of resources.
An intervention on Harwell and Winfrith to look at the principles underpinning Asset Management on these two sites was undertaken in October and November 2024.
The assessment of the site arrangements and their implementation demonstrated good alignment with the industry good practice and the requirement of ISO 55001 albeit few minor shortfalls identified e.g. training requirements. This intervention was rated adequate (Green).
Despite the sites providing strong evidence of understanding their assets, there were evidence on sites of a lack of coherence and rationale in the application of asset management principles in the strategic allocation of resource, prioritisation of projects, refurbishment and pre-emptive maintenance on sites. Examples include essential assets run to failure despite known obsolescence and degradation (e.g., security system, crane refurbishment) and eventually addressed reactively through NRS business case process. Similarly, the sites could not demonstrate awareness of the asset needs to support project work upstream of the project delivery process during the scope definition and tendering.
Finally, asset management should include maintaining the required resource and knowledge to manage the asset. Yet the NRS recruitment policy does not permit adequate succession (one person in, one person out) resulting in no planned succession and an erosion of knowledge which could substantially increase the risk associated with the decommissioning of the more complex asset with a long history (e.g. Harwell building 220).
Conclusion
Harwell and Winfrith presented a high level of understanding and compliance with the principles underpinning asset management and the site have demonstrated a good level of compliance with the requirement of the licence conditions relevant to asset management and good alignment with the industry good practice for asset management. This inspection is rated adequate. Notwithstanding the performance of the two sites, evidence indicate that this might not be integrated into the broader NRS strategic decisions with evidence of delayed investment to address poor asset performance from ageing and obsolescence.