Fit For Purpose Safety Cases in the Nuclear Industry 2023

Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester

23 May 2023

Overview

Building a robust and compliant safety case is essential to the safe management of nuclear projects and the engineers who work on them.

Returning to its in-person format, Fit For Purposes Safety Cases in the Nuclear Industry 2023 will once again bring together the engineering community to find out how to develop detailed safety cases that meet regulatory standards whilst also meeting budgetary constraints.

Presentations will combine best practice and the lessons learned from recent safety cases direct from nuclear operators, together with guidance from the industry regulator, providing a unique opportunity for nuclear safety professionals to address and overcome the key challenges for safety case design and implementation.

"Fit For Purpose Safety Cases is an invaluable seminar for those working in Nuclear safety cases. The breadth of topics makes for an interesting day and fuels reflection."
URENCO UK

Please note: This event is now fully booked, to enquire about last minute availability, please email us and we will respond to your enquiry on Monday 22 May.

PRESENTATIONS IN 2023 INCLUDE:

Office for Nuclear Regulation provide its perspective on compliant safety cases for current and new reactor technologies, covering legislation and available guidance
EDF Energy make the case for non-active commissioning covering safety case development at Hinkley Point C
GE Hitachi discuss safety cases for small modular reactors with reference to a design assessment of their BWRX300 reactor
Nuclear Waste Services discuss considerations for safety cases for radioactive waste disposal and storage
Moltex explain how they approach safety for Molten Salt reactors, using the FLEX reactor as a demonstrator
UKAEA share successful approaches for safety cases for a fusion power plant
National Nuclear Laboratory Limited outline considerations for the safe co-generation of hydrogen and other chemicals

BRING YOUR TEAM - GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE:

For group bookings of 5 or more attendees, you and your colleagues can save 15% per place to join this technical event. This is a great opportunity for multiple engineers to:

Benefit from the topics and discussions
Maximise opportunities for learning and networking
Contribute to their ongoing professional development
Meet and collaborate with colleagues across multiple sites
Bring new/junior team members up to speed

To organise your group booking, simply contact our Event Enquiries team and we would be delighted to make all the arrangements.

WHY OUR SPEAKERS ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CONFERENCE:

"Being able to share experiences, good and bad, and have a network of peers to discuss work is very important. It allows us to challenge one another, understand which approaches / methodologies work well and continue to develop. This allows for relevant good practice to be shared between different sites and organisations to ultimately improve safety across the industry."
Joe Hargreaves, Senior Safety Consultant, National Nuclear Laboratory Limited

Read the full interview here.

"Having been involved on the on the periphery of fusion reactor design assessment, I am very interested to hear more about “An Approach to a Fit For Purpose Safety Case for a Fusion Power Plant” from David Perry at UKAEA. As the founding and current sponsor of the Safety Director’s Forum Safety Case Group, AWE recognise the great value in learning from experience, both good and bad. Only in this way can we help safety practitioners and engineers avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. This is particularly important against a backdrop of ever-increasing demand and limited resources."
Keith Murphy, Head of Nuclear Safety, AWE

Read the full interview here.

"I’m looking forward to hearing different organisations approaches to ALARP, particularly as plants are decommissioned. We all need to learn from each other. Sharing best practice on its own is only part of the picture, we also need to share what didn’t work and the associated learning. Operating Experience / Lessons Learned are critical to minimising errors and mistakes that affect safety. There’s also a commercial benefit as well – the safety way of doing something is also often the most efficient!"
Dr Mark Robert Levy, Fleet Safety Case Assurance, Design Authority, EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd

Read the full interview here.

"I’m interested in learning how the assessment of small modular reactors is progressing and the lessons that we can learn to improve our strategy. We have the opportunity to learn from successes and challenges and also to help each other present our safety justifications in the most valuable way. We have to do our part in helping to deliver projects that can have real-world benefits for our future."
Andrew Steer, Head of Safety, Moltex

Read the full interview here.

	"There are a relatively small number of specialists in this area so we should learn from each other to improve safety and efficiency. Generally speaking we know each other too!" Ian Wills, Engineer, Nuclear Waste Services

"I will be interested in development of new and novel safety cases and the challenges and opportunities faced during their time. Working together as a community of safety case practitioners can benefit all by sharing knowledge, experience, mistakes and pitfalls, expanding each individuals view of best practice with the benefit of others experience. Collaboration is a useful tool to ensure that you remain up to date with current developments in the field and get a global view of the subject under discussion."
Euan Campbell, Nuclear Decommissioning Safety Case Integration Engineer, EDF Energy

"There is such a wide variety of interesting safety case topics covered, it’s too difficult to choose one! We are all so busy delivering safety cases in our day jobs, it’s essential we take time out to learn from what other safety case professionals are doing on projects across the UK, both successes achieved, and problems encountered. Seminars like this are a perfect opportunity."
Oliver Horton, Technical Director, RPS Group

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

All those involved with the following areas will benefit from this seminar:	Network with and hear from your peers operating in the following areas:
Regulatory compliance Technical Standards review Health and Safety Risk assessment and management Safety Case development and management Inspections Human Factors	Power generation Defence Decommissioning New build Fuel storage and transport Waste management

ATTEND THIS EVENT TO:

Gain insights from nuclear thought leaders across new build projects, operational plants and decommissioning sites
Put industry leaders in the hot-seat to answer your safety case questions
Learn about recent developments in processes and procedures across the industry
Hear case studies from UK operators regarding successes and areas for improvement
Network with budget holders and thought leaders across the nuclear industry, including operators and nuclear licensees

FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS EVENTS:

"A diverse and informative sharing of how different organisations approach fit for purpose nuclear safety cases."
Nuclear Safety Engineer, EDF

"A fantastic conference to stay up to date on safety case development and practice."
RAM Transport Engineer, Rolls-Royce

"A good attempt at engaging discussion on a complex subject."
Research Associate, Nuclear Futures Institute, Bangor University

"A good variety of interesting presentations."
Safety Case Engineer, EDF

"A long standing seminar event with continued relevance to all safety case practitioners."
Safety Case Dev Engineer, EDF Generation

"A professionally organised event, with high quality presentations that discussed a wide range of engaging topics from a variety of perspectives and projects happening across the industry."
Safety Case Engineer, UK Atomic Energy Authority

"A well organised event with broad range of speakers from different areas of the industry. Fantastic opportunity to share learning and best practice between different organisations within the industry - should happen more often!"
Safety Engineer, Rolls Royce

"An event covering many topical subjects within the Nuclear Industry and a great opportunity to network."
Principal Engineer, Risktec Solutions

"An opportunity to have a look into similar AND non-similar activities in other businesses and to hear about the challenges faced elsewhere."
Safety Case Engineer, EDF Energy

"Essential for nuclear safety case writers, users and assessors."
Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator Site Inspector, Ministry of Defence

"Excellent event, informative and engaging."
Tim Wykes, Site Engineering Authority, BAE Systems Submarines

"Excellent online variant of the "Fit for Purpose Safety Cases" - great presentations in an interactive format."
Mechanical Design & Safety Engineer, Babcock (Marine)

"Great event to gain knowledge and experience from other areas/sectors and an opportunity to network with likeminded individuals. ."
Head of Safety, Ministry of Defence

"Great initiative by IMechE to present recent developments towards holistic risk-mitigation in Nuclear power generation...eye-opening....feeling far less apprehensive when viewing nuclear fuel as a potentially common power-plant fuel source 15 years from now..."
AGM - Technical, MSPL Diamond PTE Ltd

"The seminar provides a day of high quality presentations, on a broad range of subjects very relevant to current issues among the safety case community. I would recommend it to people of all levels of experience with an interest in this field. "
Fusion Safety Authority, UKAEA

"This event has been a great opportunity to share best practices from the nuclear industry. Thanks!"
Head of Safety and Quality, ITER ORGANIZATION

"This IMechE seminar was informative, interesting and expertly delivered."
Approving Authority Design, MoD

"Useful update and general interest on nuclear safety case topics. Organisation needs improvement."
Safety Case Manager, Magnox

"Very good content - covering most current projects within the UK as well as touching on future concepts and the future of the nuclear industry."
Deputy PAG Chairman, Babcock International

"A professionally organised day, consisting of well presented topics by credible experts, resulting in increased understanding of the variety of issues which engineering professionals face within the nuclear industry today and tomorrow."
Engineering Surveyor, Nuclear Risk Insurers Ltd.

"A well organised event with opportunity to meet and discuss nuclear safety case issues and direction with peers in the industry."
Director, Abbott Risk Consulting Limited

"An interesting course with some thought provoking ideas. Safety is without question the most important thing however it must be proportionate and this event helped provide views on how to achieve this."
Specialist : Fluid Systems, Rolls-Royce

"Fit For Purpose Safety Cases is an invaluable seminar for those working in Nuclear safety cases. The breadth of topics makes for an interesting day and fuels reflection."
Safety Case Manager, URENCO UK

"Informative event with a breadth of speakers from different areas of the industry."
Engineer, Atkins

"Relevant and insightful and provided a number of points for practical application in my day to day job."
Senior Safety Consultant, Amec Foster Wheeler

"Entirely appropriate for the nuclear industry and the conference is an excellent way of sharing OEF."
Company Safety Manager, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)

VENUE DIRECTIONS

Map and directions to the venue, including Metrolink, Bus, Train, Parking and more, visit: https://emiratesoldtrafford.lancashirecricket.co.uk/about/how-to-find-us/

Address:

Emirates Old Trafford
Lancashire Cricket
Talbot Road
Manchester
M16 0PX

SUPPORT YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

Attending this event supports your Professional Development; if you're an IMechE Member, this can be tracked in the Career Developer section of your online account.

COVID-19 GUIDANCE FOR ATTENDEES:

The Institution takes every endeavour to operate all our events as “COVID-safe” as possible. This includes additional preventative measures, such as cleaning rotas and air ventilation. For further information on our activities in this area, view our infection control solutions webpages.

Day 1

08:30 - Agenda

08:30	REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
09:00	Chair’s Opening Remarks Andy Pyle, Technical and Safety Support Manager, EDF Energy
09:05 Keynote Presentation	The Role of Nuclear in Achieving Energy Security and Net Zero Katrina McLeay OBE, Deputy Director, Nuclear Safety, Resilience and Regulation, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
09:35	Question and Answer Session
	The Evolving Nuclear Landscape
09:40	Nuclear Safety Cases in an Evolving Industry – A Regulatory Perspective Robert Whitham - Delivery Management Lead for Safety Analysis for the RR SMR Generic Design Assessment, Office for Nuclear Regulation · A reminder of safety case fundamentals · New challenges and opportunities for safety cases · How ONR is responding
10:00	Safety Processes to Determine Security Consequences Robert Rodger, Principal Security Consultant, National Nuclear Laboratory Limited · Security into Design · Vital Area Identification · Safety Assessment supporting Security Outcomes
10:20	Question and Answer Session
10:30	Networking Refreshment Break
11:00	Demonstrating the Inherent and Passive Safety of the FLEX Reactor – Developing the Safety Approach for Molten Salt Reactors Andrew Steer, Head of Safety, Moltex · Overview of the FLEX reactor concept, adopting an inherent and passive safety approach · The hazard elimination benefit of design and safety integration from first concept, with requirements identification and management via claims development · MoltexFLEX safety, environment and security strategy and a forward look at implementation
11:20	An Approach to a Fit For Purpose Safety Case for a Fusion Power Plant David Perry, Head of Safety Case Engineering, UKAEA · An overview of key hazards associated with a Fusion Power Plant · Challenges associated with a first of a kind prototype device · A Proposed approach to the generation of a Safety Case for a Fusion Power Plant
11:40	Nuclear Enabled Co-generation and Implications for the Safety Case Joe Hargreaves, Senior Safety Consultant, National Nuclear Laboratory Limited · Co-generation with a nuclear reactor as the energy source, · The balance of radiological vs. chemical risk, · Novel approaches for the development of a Safety Case for deployment of co-generation facilities alongside nuclear in the UK regulatory regime.
12:00	Question and Answer Session
12:15	Networking Lunch
	Optimising Safety Cases for Existing and New Facilities
13:15	Safety Case Delivery Performance – A Long and Winding Road Keith Murphy, Head of Nuclear Safety, AWE · The root causes behind poor performance · The improvements made · The lessons learnt during the process
13:35	HPC Safety Case – Commissioning Case Development and Delivery Insights Paul Nelmes, Safety Report and Analysis Branch Manager, Design Authority, EDF Energy · Technical alignment challenges associated with developing a safety case for a whole power station and how they were overcome. · The delivery challenge, landing 13 Sections, 300 plus key references, 1000s of detailed references to schedule from a vast array of external and internal contributors · Engaging with Governance and Regulator Stakeholders
13:55	Disposal of Radioactive Waste Ian Wills, Head of Nuclear Safety Cases, LLWR
14:15	Optimising Safety Case Delivery Dr Mark Robert Levy, Fleet Safety Case Assurance, Design Authority, EDF Energy Nuclear Generation Ltd · The process EDF NGL have gone through to develop a revised safety case delivery framework. · The importance of customer feedback to continuous improvement. · OPEX from the change process.
14:35	Question and Answer Session
14:55	Networking Refreshment Break
15:25	Safety Strategy for BWRX-300 Christer Dahlgren, Chief Consulting Engineer, Power Plant Design, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy · How the defence in depth enables a graded approach in safety classification for BWRX-300 design · How to include DiD in the design from the beginning · Examples on how the graded approach has been implemented in the design
15:45	Question and Answer Session
	Post defueling and decommissioning safety case innovation
15:50	Developing Post Defueling Safety Cases for Fuel Free Sites Euan Campbell, Nuclear Decommissioning Safety Case Integration Engineer, EDF Energy · Approach to developing a Post Defueling Safety Case (PDSC) · Decommissioning Safety Assessment Standard Safety Case Implementation
16:10	Diving in a Nuclear Pond - A Sellafield Case Study Olly Horton, Technical Director, RPS Diving is potentially a game-changer for the decommissioning of Sellafield’s Legacy Ponds facilities - in terms of cost, time and hazard reduction benefits. A trial deployment project has recently been successfully delivered, enabled by a bespoke safety case approach. Although nuclear diving has been proven elsewhere, the dose environment at SL ponds are significantly more onerous – this necessitated the development of complex ALARP arguments for a perceived high risk project. · It also required robust Hazard Management Strategies to be developed and implemented – keeping the divers safe whilst enabling them to efficiently deliver their clean-up work
16:30	Question and Answer Session
16:40	Chair’s Closing Remarks
16:50	End of Seminar

Robert Whitham: Delivery Management Lead for Safety Analysis for the RR SMR Generic Design Assessment, Office for Nuclear Regulation

Robert is a principal nuclear safety inspector and is the Delivery Management Lead for Safety Analysis for the RR SMR Generic Design Assessment.

Paul Nelmes: Safety Case Branch Manager, Hinkley Point C Design Authority, EDF Energy

Paul has over 23 years nuclear safety case experience initially on UK Naval Propulsion before moving to Civil Nuclear 18 years ago when he joined EDF Energy. Although started his career at EDF in C&I design and associated safety cases, he broadened into multidisciplinary cases as an Author/Verifier and then as a Case Officer, responsible for Safety Case Strategy, delivery, and quality. 10 years ago, he moved into Leadership and has led numerous Design Authority Groups and Branches providing Safety Case support to the operational fleet before moving to new build 2 years to lead the Branch within Design Authority developing the Nuclear Safety Case (Report) to support construction, commissioning, and operation of HPC

Ian Wills: Engineer, Nuclear Waste Services

Ian is a Chartered Engineer, having worked in the nuclear industry for nearly 40 years in roles at both Sellafield and the LLW Repository. After holding various Design Engineering roles, Ian moved to Radiological Safety Assessment in the late 1990’s. As a Team Leader responsible for delivering numerous multi-discipline decommissioning safety cases, Ian has worked on some of the most challenging alpha and beta gamma decommissioning projects in the UK. Ian is Capability Lead and Safety Case Process Owner at LLWR, and is an active member of the Safety Directors’ Safety Case Forum. He is leading production of nuclear industry guides in the areas of Leadership and Management for Safety, Decommissioning Safety Cases, and Contaminated Wounds.

Andrew Steer: Head of Safety, Moltex

Andrew is MoltexFLEX’s lead for safety, environment, and security case development for the FLEX reactor - an advanced modular molten salt design based on simple engineering and inherent safety. The goal is to ensure a licensable design is widely deployable and demonstrated to be safe to proceed through generic assessment and licensing and permitting processes. Andrew has over 16 years of nuclear safety case experience, including safety leadership roles in UK generic design assessment (GDA) projects and as a consultant leading technical teams for a range of UK nuclear sites. Andrew has extensive experience of regulatory interface and how to understand and present justifications to meet regulatory expectations.

David Perry: Head of Safety Case Engineering, UKAEA

David is the Head of Safety Case Engineering and Technical Authority owner for UKAEA. Under this role, David is responsible for the leadership and management of all UKAEA Safety Cases. Before working at UKAEA, David worked in a leadership position in the UK Nuclear Defence industry specialising as a Nuclear Criticality Scientist in his early career. David has supported a variety of programmes in Fusion Safety over the past few years with recent notable projects including the delivery of the safety case for the return to tritium operations on JET and support to the concept design phase of STEP.

Mark Levy: Safety Case Engineer, EDF Energy

Mark read Materials Science and Engineering at Imperial College London with a PhD in atomistic modelling of materials, for energy and nuclear applications. He was then the Research Manager for the Keeping the Nuclear Option Open (KNOO) Consortium of 7 Universities focussing on maintaining nuclear R&D skills. Mark then joined EDF Energy (British Energy as it was) as a Fuel Performance modeller. This evolved to fuel integrity and the associated links with Safety Case. 6 years ago Mark moved roles to Design Authority and started to look at the wider plant safety cases, mostly for Dungeness B Power Station. About 18 months ago, he moved to a fleet safety case assurance role looking at safety case risks for the NGL fleet.

Joe Hargreaves: Senior Consultant and Safety Case Engineer, National Nuclear Laboratory Limited

Joe Hargreaves is a qualified Safety Case author / verifier and safety assessor, with chartership as both an engineer and physicist. He has worked in the nuclear industry for more than 18 years. He has experience working in nuclear safety for Nuclear New Build, electricity generation, decommissioning, research and defence. He has worked at a wide range of engineering offices, nuclear power stations, research reactors and other nuclear licensed sites in the UK and internationally. He has spent time at operational Advanced Gas Reactors, Pressurised Water Reactors and Magnox power stations at various stages of operation, interim life extension and to support ultimately their decommissioning. Notably, he worked on a long-term international assignment for more than 4 years providing direct nuclear safety engineering support to EDF as part of the Generic Design Assessment and classification engineering sequence for the UK EPR.

Simon Marsh: Safety and Security Consultant, National Nuclear Laboratory Limited

Keith Murphy: Head of Nuclear Safety, AWE

Keith joined AWE in 1986 from a Physics background to work on experimental radiation dosimetry. Seizing a rare opportunity, he took a role more directly supporting the UK nuclear deterrent, often working in the field in the US. Following the introduction of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, Keith sought a career change and became part of a team working towards Nuclear Site Licensing. Within this role he gradually developed and evolved into my current position as the Head of Nuclear Safety. As part of his role Keith continues to provide the capability for the production of safety cases at AWE

Euan Campbell: Nuclear Decommissioning Safety Case Integration Engineer, EDF Energy

o Euan Campbell is currently the decommissioning Safety Case Lead for EDF-Energy. Euan graduated in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Strathclyde and has been with EDF UK for over 15 years. Euan was a Mechanical Engineer for the majority of this time, specialising in condition monitoring (dynamics) of high value rotating plant such as turbines and pumps, as well as leading several significant nuclear safety related asset replacement projects. Euan has worked on safety cases throughout his time in EDF UK and more recently joined the Nuclear Decommissioning part of the business as a Safety Case Officer responsible for delivering the Post Defueling Safety Cases for the UK Nuclear fleet.

Oliver Horton: Technical Director, RPS Group

Olly has over 20 years’ experience in safety case development and project management, the majority being across the UK nuclear industry. Since 2010 Olly has been integrated into Sellafield’s Legacy Ponds decommissioning team. As the Safety Case lead he has developed the strategies for, and successfully delivered, a number of challenging safety cases. This has enabled significant hazard reduction at some of the UK’s highest risk facilities.

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