Band 3 Nuclear Safety Inspector - Bootle, United Kingdom - Office of Nuclear Regulation

Office of Nuclear Regulation

Verified Company

Bootle, United Kingdom

3 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

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Description

Background

The Office for Nuclear Regulation is the UK's independent nuclear regulator, with the legal authority to regulate nuclear safety, security and conventional health and safety at 36 licensed nuclear sites in Great Britain (GB).

This includes the existing fleet of operating reactors, fuel cycle facilities, waste management and decommissioning sites, as well as licensed defence sites, together with the regulation of the design and construction of new nuclear facilities.

ONR also regulates the transport of nuclear and radioactive materials by road, rail, and inland waterways, and as of January 2021 operates the UK's State System of Accountancy for and Control of Nuclear Materials (SSAC) and a domestic safeguards regime.

As part of its 2025 strategy ONR is committed to being a modern and transparent regulator, delivering trusted outcomes and value.

We are making substantial investments in new digital technologies and skills to enhance our regulatory processes and management of information.

About the Role

Job Purpose

As an ONR Structural Integrity Inspector, you will be concerned with the integrity of pressure vessels, pipework, tanks, and their supporting structures.

For Light Water Reactors it includes the nuclear safety significant vessels including the reactor pressure vessel; associated pipework; and vessel internal structures.

For chemical plants it includes the main processing vessels and pipework that contain radioactive materials.

With Advanced Gas-Cooled reactors this includes the boilers within the concrete pressure vessel; the steam, feed and other pipework that sit outside the pressure vessels; reactor internals; and the graphite core itself.

We are looking for experts who not only have a specialism related to structural integrity, but those who have developed an understanding of the inter-relationship between stresses, materials, defects, and degradation in structural integrity; the different aspects that contribute to a structural integrity safety case.

As well as providing guidance and advice in your specialism, you would need to be able to take the lead on the technical assessment of structural integrity aspects of safety cases and in making judgements on the adequacy of the safety case and site-based interventions.

Extensive training will be provided on the legal and regulatory aspects of the role, along with opportunities to continue to develop the expand and deepen knowledge in the specialist area and on a range of nuclear technologies.

As experience of regulating nuclear safety increases, all inspectors are given the opportunity to progress and potentially achieve promotion.

Principle Responsibilities
Nuclear Inspectors are expected to be capable of undertaking a variety of roles:

Inspecting sites.
Assessing technical safety cases; Enforcing the law.
Influencing safety improvements.
Investigating incidents.
Participating in emergency exercises.
Developing strategic approaches to secure high standards in the industry.
Managing nuclear research contracts.

The role of a Nuclear Inspector is varied, and you are likely to undertake a range of duties during your career.

Some Inspectors concentrate on undertaking planned and reactive inspections on site, while others will mainly assess safety submissions or manage discrete intervention projects.

The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders internally and externally both verbally and in writing is an essential attribute.

The focus is on working as part of multi-disciplinary teams to ensure compliance with the law, reassure the public and improve safety standards.

When Inspectors find shortcomings in compliance, they initially provide advice but may take formal enforcement action if appropriate. The powers available to inspectors enable them to serve Enforcement Notices and ultimately initiate prosecutions. There is also a wide range of powers available under nuclear license conditions.

Our inspectors come from a variety of mainly nuclear or high-hazard backgrounds, but all demonstrate composure when working at pace whilst undertaking an exacting and rewarding job in the public sector.

Specific job-related expertise required alongside other technical and behavioural competencies for this specific discipline role are described below

Line Management Responsibilities

None currently, however, at this level there could be an expectation to manage staff in the future.

Location/Travel
This post may be undertaken from a base at any one of ONR's office locations (Bootle, Cheltenham, or London).

This post requires some travel including overnight stays predominantly across the United Kingdom and occasionally abroad.

ONR operates hybrid working (working in the office and or at home) as part of our flexible working policy. There is an expectation that everyone will spend time in the office on a regular basis, recognising that some work is better done face to