Driving worries on nuclear site
I don’t usually get worried about most reports of incidents on nuclear sites, generally over-emphasised to sensationalise them and make sure they get noticed. However, a recent news item had my collys wobbling a little more than usual.
According to the report, management fear that someone could be injured if driving standards are not improved, with staff observed to be speeding, using mobile phones, and ignoring pedestrians at crossings, with 30 Highway Code violations reported in the past year.
The company’s newspaper noted staff and contractors were not meeting the challenge of driving responsibly, and that offenders were to face a one month ban for their vehicles from the site, meaning a long hike from the site car park.
This worries me deeply because I happen to have worked on many large industrial sites as a contractor - though I’ve largely avoided nuclear oddly enough.
Visiting the likes of shipyards and docks (including active military sites) and fabrication yards, and needing vehicular access to get test equipment in place, I’ve never been unclear as to what action would follow if it I didn’t follow the site driving procedure, which in some cases meant driving at walking pace only, with headlights and hazard lights on at all times. I’ve also driven into pharmacological factories, and explosives manufacturing facilities, both if which allow only diesel vehicles, and reserve the right to search you for matches, lighters and the like.
I’m both amazed and worried that on a site dealing with nuclear materials and processes that this article even needs to be raised, and it signals basic failures in both management and employee mindsets simply by existing at all.
I’ve never favoured the option of sacking people to solve a problem, people only learn by making mistakes, but I think there should be heads rolling on both sides of the table at Dounreay over this, and be seen to be rolling too.
If this is truly an example of how some people are prepared to behave within the grounds of such a facility, then I think a phrase like ‘Be afraid, be very afraid’ come all too quickly to mind.
