New regulator for nuclear construction health and safety
Oversight exists for many reasons and one is to make certain that workers and businesses are safe. The Office for Nuclear Regulation has hired a new regulator to oversee nuclear safety. The ONR is part of the HSE, but is an independent body that works to maintain health and safety on construction and operation of power stations in the UK.
The Draft Energy Bill has offered the ONR the chance to protect against health and safety concerns such as radiation during the design and building of new nuclear installations. The ONR will also be able to regulate construction work and storage facilities that deal with nuclear material including the dismantling and decommissioning of certain sites. The newly hired ONR regulator, along with secondary regulators, will most likely have a salary to match the dangers they will face in making certain facilities are following proper protocols during building, operations, and decommission processes. The bill exempts ONR service personnel from standard civil service pay scales because the skills needed are extremely specialised and therefore the government feels the pay should be appropriate. The nuclear industry has declined over the last few years and this has resulted in shortfalls at the facilities and specialists on hand to keep the industry regulated. The government is working to fix this by starting the draft bill and giving flexibility to the ONR in terms of financial and employment choices to ensure that safety and health regulations are being taken seriously.
