Sizewell A nuclear power station in Suffolk, which has been generating electricity since 1966, has become the first business in the world to be given the highest possible safety and environmental awards by a firm of independent, international risk management consultants.
Det Norske Veritas (DNV), a foundation established in 1864 with the primary objective safeguarding life, property and the environment, has - for the first time in its history - seen fit to give full marks under their International Safety Rating System (ISRS) and International Environmental Rating System (IERS).
In over 10 years of applying the comprehensive 6th edition of the ISRS no other business, factory, company or industry has ever been given Level 10 by this globally based company that has 300 offices in 100 different countries around the world.
Eric Pape, a director of DNV Consulting said: "Sizewell A's achievement is a fantastic piece of work. This hasn't taken only a few minutes - this has been managed through years of dedicated activity. No one else in the world today has managed to attain Level 10 and meet the comprehensive requirements of the ISRS.
"This is a team that is well led and effectively organised. The company (British Nuclear Group) should be proud of what Sizewell A has managed to do."
DNV first started examining the multi-faceted, in-depth processes needed to run Sizewell A in 1996 and awarded the power station an ISRS Level 4. So determined was the management to improve their systems that they listened and learned and, in 2000, they found themselves the recipients of the much-coveted Level 9 award. And that meant that they could count themselves among the top three per cent of companies across the world that had ever reached that standard.
And for the last five years, Sizewell A has not only maintained that level, they've also added a new layer of success - the International Environmental Rating System - for which they are now also holders of a Level 10 award.
Said Sizewell A site manager, Mike Wilding: "This is a quite remarkable success story for those who have worked so hard to maintain and improve our standards at the power plant. No one anywhere else has ever been given this top award for safety ratings and no one else has ever won Level 10 for their environmental standards…and now we've got both! It's better than any of us could have hoped for - it's a remarkable testament to all who work at Sizewell A."
The ISRS is a periodic systematic, comprehensive audit of the site's performance and involved the investigation of 20 specific elements including leadership, communication, accident and incident analysis, planned inspections and maintenance and knowledge and skill training. To reach Level 10, staff had to achieve higher than 90% in all 20 elements.
"I believe the secret of our success has been continuity and consistency. We had a long way to go when we started but we have deliberately and carefully moved forward and never allowed our standards to drop. Now we aim to defuel and decommission Sizewell A, starting at the end of 2006, with exactly the same degree of care," said Mike.
Date: 2005-04-04