Our Sellafield - August 2020

Business Transformation Environment Safety At first, I was on site one day every fortnight for safety critical work and flushing emergency showers. We didn’t want to encourage bacterial growth or legionella in our plant. As we moved to working more days on plant, we soon realised that five operators won’t fit into our tiny control room. We established working in pairs, to lessen the risk and to ensure the 2-metre distance. Effluent Plant Maintenance Facility is like a car garage for the Enhanced Actinide Removal Plant (EARP). We support EARP so it can continue to treat effluents prior to their discharge. Lots of effort has been put into making our workplaces safe – but it’s a constant focus and challenge. It’s not just controls around Covid-19 but safety as a whole. It will have been a while since we have done some jobs, perhaps used a particular machine etc. Those on plant can see what’s needed; and raise condition reports so issues can be addressed. Those people are also the most experienced to deal with issues as they arise. As a team we had a weekly dial in; it’s good to be included and for everyone to feel empowered to make changes and suggestions. At the end of the day we are all in this lockdown together. And we can learn too from those who have recently returned – you see things with a fresh pair of eyes. It’s about respecting each others’ experiences and getting used to being together again. It’s been an anxious time, many have suffered with their mental health. I think seeing a positive, familiar face will help. As a mental health champion, I’m here if anyone wants to contact me, or others listed in the EDI hub. We all need help at times. Are we kind enough to ourselves to ask for support with our mental health when we need it? I know many find it easier to provide that help, than ask for it. Let’s start by showing a little kindness to ourselves. Sarah Cooper shares her experiences of working on site throughout the pandemic. She is an operator in Low Active Effluent Management group (LAEMG), a GMB safety rep and a mental health champion. News Show a little kindness Sarah Cooper “ Are we kind enough to ourselves to ask for support with our mental health when we need it? ”