Our specialist asbestos and hazardous materials testing and inspection company, Lucion Services Ltd, has strengthened its nuclear sector presence by securing a place on Sellafield Ltd's LINC (Liaise, Innovate, Network, Collaborate) framework.
As a Category 2 supplier on the framework, Lucion Services Ltd will be eligible to participate directly in LINC opportunities, contributing to Sellafield’s commitment to fostering innovation and supporting the UK’s SME agenda.
As we continue to deliver specialist risk management services at Sellafield, Chief People Officer Carolyn Cole reflects on a recent visit to Sellafield and takes a look back at the fascinating history of Britain’s first nuclear site and the unique challenges of managing hazardous materials in one of the UK’s most secure industrial facilities.
Britain’s First Nuclear Site: A Legacy of Power
The first thing that strikes you about Sellafield is its sheer size. Spanning 2 square miles, the site is effectively a small town, complete with its own bus routes serving its 11,000+ workers.
After making it through the barriers, Lucion’s Site Operations Manager, who leads our asbestos professional services delivery at Sellafield, provided us with a walking guided tour of the site.
In case you didn’t know Sellafield was Britain’s first nuclear site. But it wasn’t created to generate renewable fuels. Sellafield was dedicated to creating Plutonium for Britain’s nuclear arsenal. Previously a munitions site, in 1947, Sellafield started the long transition of becoming a nuclear weapon manufacturing power house. In the post world war II era, and during the cold war, the need to produce plutonium for Britain’s Nuclear Weapons initiative meant that Sellafield quickly expanded its size. As political interest changed, the site created the first nuclear power plant, in the West, Calder Hall.
Calder Hall began operation in 1956, coinciding with peak asbestos use in British construction. Asbestos was historically used extensively in nuclear power plants due to its heat-resistant properties, particularly during the construction boom of the 1950s and ’60s in the UK. Sellafield stopped generating nuclear energy over 7 years ago and has now fully moved to its decommissioning stage.
Managing Risk in a Nuclear Environment
The Parliamentary committee’s recent report highlighted the immense scale of the clean-up operation at Sellafield, with costs estimated at £136 billion and a timeline extending beyond 100 years.
Our team’s work here is crucial in managing asbestos risks on sites and ensuring the safety of thousands of workers on site.
Unlike many of Lucion’s large, long-term projects, Sellafield is particularly interesting from a risk management perspective, addressing the unique challenge of balancing two critical safety concerns: asbestos exposure and radiation.
Our asbestos team at Sellafield are extensively trained and undergo stringent safety measures to ensure they are protected in every part of the site. Whether they are in one of the regular offices in the general parts of site, or working in a Radiation Controlled Area, the team exercise nuclear professionalism standards always.
But the level of safety, protection and security on site isn’t the only thing that stands out about Sellafield. One of the most fascinating aspects of our work at Sellafield is how we’ve adapted our testing procedures to meet the site’s unique requirements. Unlike standard sites, asbestos samples from Sellafield can’t be removed for off-site testing. In response, we’ve established on-site testing facilities, demonstrating our ability to innovate while maintaining our high standards of safety and accuracy.
After completing the guided tour, we were welcomed at our dedicated Lucion office on site, where we met with our on-site asbestos team. A close knit group, it was clear from the conversation that the team are passionate about the work they do on site, the unique project and situations they deal with every day and the camaraderie they have for each other.
Looking to the Future
As we concluded our visit, what struck me most was the dedication of our team and their integration into Sellafield’s complex operations. Our Operations Manager’s extensive experience and multiple roles – from Site Safety Manager to Environmental Supervisor – showcase how Lucion has become an essential partner in managing risk at this critical facility.
This visit reinforced my understanding of why our work at nuclear sites requires such specialist expertise and why Lucion’s approach to risk management continues to set industry standards. The combination of traditional hazards like asbestos with the unique challenges of a nuclear site creates an environment where our expertise truly makes a difference in protecting people and the environment.
If you want to take a glimpse into Sellafield and learn about one of Lucion’s biggest asbestos projects, explore the links below:
- Britain’s Nuclear Secrets – Inside Sellafield – A very good documentary by the esteemed Physicist Prof. Jim Al-Khalili
- Great Railway Journeys – Windermere to Sellafield – The latest programme to be filmed on-site.
If you want to know more about Sellafield, what our team do there and want to explore opportunities to join the Sellafield site team, email our recruitment team at [email protected].
I’m already looking forward to my next visit to Sellafield, which, in my opinion has to be the most fascinating industrial and historical site in Britain.
