AWE meets requirements of regulatory notice

We welcome the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s decision to close the improvement notice, served last year following an incident on the Aldermaston site at our Explosive Technology Centre. There was no risk to the public or the environment from this incident.

We have now successfully completed a number of actions around process, plant and people, giving clearer accountabilities around decision making, allowing more early warning, and further increasing the competency of teams working with explosives. Improvements to control of work, oversight by the senior leadership team, and communications have also been made in line with this.  Although not formal actions required by the notice, proactive and vital work to improve the working environment of the facility and tooling has also taken place.

AWE’s Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Director of Corporate Assurance, Ian Rogers, said: “The work we have done in response to the improvement notice has been
wide-ranging, resulting in improved control of work, communication and decision-making.

“We are committed to a culture of continuous safety improvement as we focus on delivering our important mission to meet the needs of defence. We will continue to work closely with all our regulators, while holding ourselves to the highest safety standards.”

Read more on the ONR website.