RoSPA Health and Safety Awards are internationally-renowned and the longest-running industry awards scheme in the UK. The RoSPA Awards scheme, which receives entries from organisations around the world, recognises achievement in health and safety management systems, including practices such as leadership and workforce involvement.
Cavendish Nuclear Ltd attended the RoSPA Awards ceremony at ExCel, London on Tuesday 18th June, 2019 where they received a number of prestigious awards in recognition of its practices and achievements in helping its workforce go Home Safe Every Day.
Their achievements included:
- Winner of the Workforce Involvement in Safety & Health Trophy (sponsored by Springfields Fuels Ltd), which is awarded to the Industry Sector Award entrant demonstrating the best involvement of employees in their organisation’s health and safety management high performance.
- Highly Commended in the Construction Engineering Industry Sector Award of which entrants demonstrate a robust and high quality safety management system together with a minimum of four years’ consistently excellent or continuously improving health and safety performance.
- Gold Medal (6 consecutive Golds) for Fleet Safety Award which recognises an effective, cohesive corporate road risk management programme Following RoSPA’s Managing Occupational Road Risk (MORRTM) principles.
Paul Smith, Managing Director, Nuclear Services commented:
“Receiving these awards is a fantastic achievement for our organisation demonstrating our commitment and obligation to sending our people home safe everyday. The evening was a success, and it was a tremendous accolade to be recognised by Baroness Jolly in her opening address as a leading company in our Sector.”
Paul Unsworth, Acting SSHEQR Director added,
“I’m extremely proud that our unwavering commitment to the health, safety and welfare of our workforce has resulted in such prestigious awards. The engagement and involvement of our people is critical and I’m very pleased that their contribution has been recognised and celebrated.”
Cavendish Nuclear is developing pioneering technology to transform the way we decommission active cells and other redundant nuclear facilities on different nuclear licenced sites in the UK and abroad.
The In Cell Decommissioning System (IDS) brings together three existing technologies – the RadScan™ 3D gamma dose rate scanning technology of Cavendish Nuclear, the robotic laser-snake arm of OC Robotics and the VR expertise of Babcock– to create a remotely-operated platform that protects workers from radiation while giving them much greater visibility of the hazards.
These established technologies in spatial and radiometric scanning, remote deployment and virtual reality (VR) control deliver efficient operations through:
• a fully remote solution,
• less people and equipment,
• reduced man-machine interface,
• improved understanding of the environment,
• planning and checking via the VR interface,
• automated operations,
• and improved waste tracking and packing.
A short 3-minute video, highlighting the benefits of this technology, can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/9aWiK8beTrk
Cavendish Nuclear’s project lead Tony Carrigan said;
“We are combining technologies developed across different sectors of industry to deliver a breakthrough in the reduction of risks to workers, increased productivity, more efficient management of waste, reduced timescales and lower overall costs,”
IDS’ modular form means that it can be tailored to suit specific applications and its functional capabilities can be adapted using a range of deployment systems and tools.
This innovative system is something Cavendish Nuclear is actively promoting to its clients across the nuclear industry.
For more information about the IDS please contact Jonathan Britton, Instrument & Service Product Manager.
Email: Jonathan.Britton@cavendishnuclear.com Tel: 01925 938133
“GREAT news for Caithness” is how Willie Watt of Wick Harbour Authority described the completion of the 84-turbine Beatrice offshore wind farm.
Three years after construction began, the last of the turbines was commissioned on Wednesday at the £2.6 billion Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (Bowl) development which will employ around 90 staff.
“This is a fantastic milestone,” said Mr Watt, harbour spokesman and board member. “To install this massive project in in such a hostile environment, off the Caithness coast, is testament to all the skills, engineering and preparation work needed to get this development to where it is.
“It is a great achievement and will be the forerunner to many more turbines to be installed out there. It is great news for Caithness as a lot of people are employed on this project and will be for the next 25 years.
“Its effects will be felt throughout the local economy.”
The installation of the final 7MW Siemens Gamesa turbine in the outer Moray Firth, around 13km offshore, brings the site’s total installed capacity to 588MW – enough to provide clean energy to more than 450,000 homes.
North MSP Gail Ross praised the efforts of the harbour authority in bringing the project to Wick.
The SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross said: “I’m absolutely delighted and so proud of this massive achievement. It has made a massive difference to Wick harbour with the regeneration of the buildings and the creation of many jobs.
“Praise also has to go to Wick Harbour Authority for its tenacity in pushing to get the service maintenance contract. I’ve raised a motion in the Scottish Parliament to congratulate all those involved.
“This project will not only bring a significant economic boost to Caithness and Sutherland, it also shows our commitment to a greener future for our energy needs.”
Trudy Morris, chief executive of the Caithness Chamber of Commerce, was also delighted.
She said: “The completion of installation works at Bowl is a significant achievement and a real milestone in this important project. It has already seen over £20 million invested directly in Wick and is truly transformational.
“With the operations and maintenance phase due to bring around 90 long-term jobs, this will bring significant additional benefits and opportunities to the north Highlands.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Bowl over the lifetime of the project to build on their engagement and ensure a positive and fruitful relationship with the local business community.”
Photograph – Bowl
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone hopes further offshore wind developments will be considered. “This could happen to the west of Orkney with a power cable landfall on the north Caithness coast,” the Liberal Democrat MP said.
He hoped the Bowl development and others would lead to permanent high-quality jobs in Caithness. “This should be skills and expertise based,” he said. “Being a world leader for this type of project would nicely match the space launch in the far north. Both would make this area the frontrunner in new and important technologies.”
Bowl is a joint venture development comprising SSE Renewables (40 per cent), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (35 per cent) and Red Rock Power (25 per cent).
Onshore construction began in May 2016 and offshore construction got under way in April 2017.
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE DDF ALLIANCE
The Dounreay Decommissioning Framework (DDF) Alliance is pleased to announce that it has successfully secured a place on the Decommissioning Services Framework for Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL).
The DDF Alliance, comprising Cavendish Nuclear, JGC Engineering and Technical Services (JGC), KDC Contractors (Veolia) and BAM Nuttall (BAM) brings together four highly capable and experienced companies who collectively offer the full range of skills required to offer innovative solutions to deliver DSRL’s projects safely and as efficiently as possible.
The framework, worth approximately £400M for a duration of up to 7 years, will be used to deliver a range of significant decommissioning projects to facilitate delivery of the Dounreay nuclear site to its Interim End State.
Paul Smith, Cavendish Nuclear Managing Director – Nuclear Services, “Bringing our experience together into one team gives DSRL access to a unique and comprehensive blend of skills, capabilities, innovation and technology.
“Securing a place on this Framework is key to our ongoing support to Dounreay; it will allow us to invest in our team, create new jobs in the region and ultimately deliver exceptional performance to DSRL.”
The work will include both large construction projects and major de-planting, decommissioning, decontamination and demolition projects.
Dougie Grant Divisional Director, BAM Nuttall Ltd, “Together, we will create a diverse range of opportunities to create a lasting legacy for the local community. We will build on the present to create the future for Dounreay and the wider region it serves.”
John Campbell Director, JGC, “As a local SME, JGC is committed to the safe and innovative decommissioning of the Dounreay site. As part of the DDF Alliance, we will form part of a strong project delivery solution for the challenges ahead and thus ensure ongoing development and sustainability for JGC through to and beyond the site interim end state.”
John Bloodworth General Manager, Nuclear Business, KDC ( Veolia), “We look forward to working with the Alliance, and delivering the specialist demolition, de-planting and broker skills to the project that marks the next chapter in the history of the Dounreay site.”
G&A Barnie, which is based in Wick and has offices in Inverness, Orkney and Aberdeen, will be involved in the construction of a new operations building at the Rothera research station run by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
The total cost of the project is estimated to be £70 million, with the bill for G&A Barnie expected to be up to £18 million.
Director David McKiddie said yesterday: “This is a massive contract for us and is the biggest we have ever had. A new operations base will be built and will have offices, a control tower, a mechanical workshop and all the generators they need.
“It will be 90 metres long and 30 metres wide and be a two-storey building.”
Mr McKiddie, who spent 15 days in the Antarctic in January, explained that about 20 of the firm’s 250 staff will be involved in the contract. The work is due to take place between November 2020 and April 2021 as after that it will be the winter months.
“We will be back again from November 2021 to April 2022 and probably over the same five-month period the following year,” he said.
Mr McKiddie pointed out that the firm will need 450 containers of equipment for the trip and it will have to be ready for shipment by February 2020.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime job for us but we are hoping it will lead to other work there as BAM Nuttall [the construction and civil engineering company which is the main contractor for the research station and is carrying out work at Wick harbour] will be working there for the next seven to 10 years.”
Mr McKiddie said the employees who want to work in the Antarctic will have to go on a three-day course in Cambridge – where BAS has its headquarters – and undertake a medical before being selected for the trip.
He described his time in the southern tip of the world as “an unbelievable experience”.
“I was there during their summer but the temperature was only between zero and two degrees and icebergs were floating all over the place. There is no television or mobile phones there although you can use a satellite phone so it is quite isolated,” said Mr McKiddie who explained that it takes three days to fly to the Antarctic.
BAM Nuttall is also building a new pier at the site, and while Mr McKiddie was there he met two Caithness men – Alan Morrison from Wick and John Budge from Thurso, who were working on the project.
It is not the first time that G&A Barnie has landed a job so far from home. The company got a contract on Bird Island, South Georgia, near the Falkland Islands.
“A new office block was being built there for the British Antarctic Survey and we had two guys – Richard Bartholomew from Wick and Kevin Kirkham from Inverness – doing the electrics, plumbing and ventilation,” Mr McKiddie said.
He said the firm, which started in business in 1985, has also won a contract to work on radar sites for the Ministry of Defence in England.
Source: John O’Groat Journal
A sports hall in Easterhouse, a disused mill in John O’Groats, an area of amenity land in Strathpeffer and a stretch of foreshore on the Isle of Skye will soon be in the hands of local people as four community groups receive financial support from the Scottish Land Fund.
Announcement of the grants was made by Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham.
The largest of the latest round of grants announced today was made to John O’Groats Mill Trust, which has received £348,064 to acquire the B-listed, disused John O’Groats Mill along with 9.5 acres of land and two self-catering holiday cottages. The Trust intends to restore the Mill to its former working condition and develop it as a visitor attraction and a social and heritage centre, creating a number of employment, volunteering, training, and skills development opportunities.
Rognvald Brown, John O’ Groats Mill Trust, said: “Thanks to this award from the Scottish Land Fund our community can begin to benefit from this iconic facility in our midst and make it a social, educational, cultural and heritage hub. We realise there are still many steps and lots of hard work on the way to achieving all our goals, but with this vote of confidence comes a tremendous sense of empowerment.”
Connect Community Trust in the Wellhouse area of Easterhouse, Glasgow has received £114,732 to purchase the HubSports building, which they have been leasing from Glasgow City Council for more than a decade.
The Scottish Chambers of Commerce has promoted Charandeep Singh to the new role of Deputy Chief Executive as the business group focuses on growing the reach of the Scottish Chamber Network nationally and internationally.
Charandeep will take on the newly created role with immediate effect. Continuing to work closely with Dr Liz Cameron OBE, Director & Chief Executive of SCC, he will focus on strategy development and implementation, raising and profiling the views of the business community to decision makers and expanding commercial opportunities for the Scottish Chamber Network.
He has worked with SCC for six years, most recently as its Head of External Relations.
Commenting on the appointment, Dr Liz Cameron OBE, Director & Chief Executive, said:
“Our Network is growing and strengthening its position to promote the interests of Scottish business nationally and internationally. To achieve this growth and deliver for our members, investing in the talent of our team is critical to the success of the Chamber Network and the business community.
“I am delighted to appoint Charandeep to the post of Deputy Chief Executive where he will bring his utmost dedication and entrepreneurial zeal to supporting the growth of the Scottish business community. This promotion is testament to his contributions, as well as the future growth ambitions of the Chamber Network.”
Commenting on his appointment, Charandeep Singh, said:
“This is an exciting new role which I am honoured to take on. In the midst of political uncertainty and economic challenges, a strong business-led Chamber Network has never been more important. I am absolutely committed to raising the voice of business to decision makers, making sure that business communities in Scotland are thriving.”
Thurso Community Development Trust (TCDT) have secured a share of funding made available through the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund (CCF). TCDT has been awarded a CCF grant totalling £122,568 for the Thurso Grows project which will allow the project to run until March 2021.
The CCF is a Scottish Government grant programme, managed and administered by Keep Scotland Beautiful. The CCF provides funding and support for community groups to help tackle climate change by running projects that reduce local carbon emissions.
Tracey Taylor, TCDT Chair said of the award, “ the Thurso Grows project will reduce carbon emissions by providing workshops, events and activities to encourage and promote local food growing and production along with workshops, events and activities to educate and encourage us to reduce our food waste. We’ll be employing two project co-ordinators and a Gardener along with someone to help with the marketing and admin. Anyone interested in the posts is encouraged to visit our website, http://www.thursocdt.co.uk.”
The project will see the Community Garden, formerly the Bee Bubble Garden in Ormlie transformed with a redesign of the gardening beds including additions of high raise beds for those with mobility issues, additions of a polycrub, composting toilet and an outdoor kitchen space. Joan Lawrie, Thurso Development Officer explained “We’ve felt it was important from the outset to make the Garden space a social space that everyone can enjoy. We’ll be able to hold some fantastic events along with all the workshops and the garden literally becomes a teaching space. We’re super excited to have secured this funding and have so many fabulous plans in mind.”
The CCF has awarded over 1,100 grants since its introduction in 2008, for projects involving energy efficiency, sustainable travel, local food and resource efficiency. Total CCF funding since 2008 has exceeded £104 million. Tracey added, “This was a competitive funding round with 87 projects being supported for 2019 to 2021, of those only 22 new projects have been funded including Thurso Grows which is also the only new project to have been funded in Highland Region.
Pictured are: Tracy Taylor (TCDT Chair), Joan Lawrie, Magnus Davidson and in the foreground Struan and Lachlan Sparling.
For more information see:
- http://www.thursocdt.co.uk
- http://www.facebook.com/thursocdt
- http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/ccf
A £50 million development at Wick harbour could create around 700 jobs.
The plan, being mooted by the Wick Harbour Authority, would result in the construction of a heavy lift and decommissioning quay, a breakwater and a deepened basin in the Shaltigoe area of the port.
That would enable the harbour to attract larger vessels and undertake oil-related decommissioning work.
Harbour board member and former chairman Willie Watt said the development would result in about 700 jobs, including the support infrastructure and supply chain.
He described the Shaltigoe plans as “a big investment and a big step forward” and said if everything goes to plan it could be operational by 2025.
“That would open up other capabilities and enable us to decommission sections of oil rigs,” he said. “We believe Wick could play a big part in that market and use the skills set we have at Dounreay to deal with that. The recycled material would go back out by sea.”
Mr Watt acknowledged it would require a lot of investment and will not happen overnight. “We would hope to get the funding from various agencies, banks and business partners and if everything goes to plan it should be up and running in six years’ time,” he added.
Plans are also being made to improve the capacity at the outer harbour so it can service offshore wind developments, other renewables and general cargo.
Wick Harbour Authority wants to install a high-water protection gate across the entrance to protect the outer basin from the effects of easterly storms and improve its capacity.
The high-water protection gate would cost between £3 million and £4 million and would mean that part of the harbour could be better utilised, Mr Watt said. The tender process is under way, with the project expected to be ready by late 2019 or early 2020.
One hundred and fifty jobs have been created by the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (Bowl) operations and maintenance base at Wick harbour.
“We have eight boats going to the wind farm from the harbour at the moment but would expect that figure to go up to 14 to 16 this summer,” said Mr Watt, who hopes the port will also gain work at the nearby Moray East and Moray West offshore wind developments when they get under way.
“There will be a couple of hundred turbines there and we are pretty confident we can get a slice of that action because of our proximity to the field and because we have already established ourselves as a base for Bowl,” he said.
“But to do that we have to develop the outer harbour so we can increase our capacity for Windcat boats. I think Wick, Scrabster and Gills all have opportunities to capitalise on the renewables off our coast.”
In the longer term, Wick Harbour Authority plans to build a breakwater on the north side of the bay.
Mr Watt said the catalyst for the redevelopment of the port was the creation of the marina which was undertaken in 2009.
The £2.6 billion Beatrice project will result in 84 turbines being installed approximately 13 kilometres off the Caithness coast. When completed, the 588-megawatt project will be capable of providing enough energy to power up to 450,000 homes.
Picture: Gordon Doull
Source: John O’Groat Journal