Many firms need to move items around, and it is crucial that they have effective systems in place to ensure this happens successfully. When it comes to transporting radioactive materials, it is particularly important to ensure that no problems arise. After all, the stakes are high. If accidents occur, the consequences can be serious. Human health and wellbeing may be compromised, and the environment could suffer too.
One organization that has to focus on the safe transport of radioactive materials is Oxford Technologies. The engineering company is set to expand after securing a contract to clean up a nuclear waste site in Dounreay, Scotland, the Oxford Times reports.
The enterprise, which is based in Abingdon, will increase its workforce by a fifth to help it meet its responsibilities under the terms of the agreement and it is also set to move to a new premises. Meanwhile, it will deploy a specialist team to the nuclear waste site.
Dounreay in the Scottish Highlands oversaw nuclear experiments in the post-war era.
Commenting on the recent development, business development director at Oxford Technologies Stephen Sanders said: “Our annual turnover is £2 million and this contract alone is worth £4.3 million, so this is brilliant news for us as a small engineering company.”
It will recruit at least six more engineers to add to its existing 27-strong workforce. Meanwhile, the organisation has revealed it will use remote handling machinery to extract nuclear materials from a shaft. The materials were dumped there between the 1950s and 1977, when there was an explosion caused by a build-up of hydrogen gas.
According to Mr Sanders, it is not clear exactly what was placed in the shaft in the early days because very few records were kept.
Providing extra detail, he remarked: “This shaft was not intended to be a dump – it was originally intended to be used to flush low-level radioactive waste out to sea. This is low and intermediate level waste as far as we know but the Dounreay people themselves say the evidence is very anecdotal. Things were not very well controlled at the time. It will be hazardous but that is what remote handling is all about – solving challenging problems where people can’t go.”
Once removed, the nuclear material will be sent to another facility on the Dounreay site where it can be stored more securely. This process of radioactive transport will no doubt pose its own challenges for the firm.
When firms are on the lookout for dangerous goods packaging of any sort, whether they need to transport radioactive substances, explosives, corrosive material or anything else, they can simply head online. These days, it is straightforward for companies to access suitable materials. All people need are a spare few moments and a web connection.
Of course, companies must ensure that the items they select meet the strict criteria that are place. If they fail to do so, they could put people, the environment and their own reputations at risk. It is therefore important that managers are in the know concerning dangerous goods packaging.
About the Author – Anna Longdin is a freelance blogger who has written extensively on the topic of dangerous goods packaging for a number of websites, including Air Sea Containers Ltd.