A partnership working on the Sellafield site is celebrating a million hours without a lost time accident.

Nuclear specialists i3 Decommissioning Partners was created in 2016 and has been a vital part of delivering the work to prepare the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo for clean-up work.

Work is ongoing to empty the legacy nuclear waste storage facility.

i3 is a collaboration of Altrad Services, Wood plc and Shepley Engineers.

Mike Lacey, i3 project director, said: “This has involved installing all the equipment needed to safely retrieve the waste and improving the infrastructure in the plant so it is ready to become an operational facility again after more than two decades of care and maintenance.”

i3 Decommissioning Partners, a finalist in the in-Cumbria Business Awards 2019, said it was celebrating the significant milestone while keeping an eye on the job in hand.

Mr Lacey added: “We are continuing to work hard to complete the final preparations so that retrievals can begin in mid-2020.

“Reaching one million hours without a lost time accident is an awesome achievement by everyone who works on behalf of i3, including our exceptional supply chain partners.

“The personal dedication to working safely has enabled everyone to go home safely each and every day, on what is a challenging and hazardous environment.

“We all understand the importance of the task we are working on, but this world-class safety performance confirms we have not allowed the pressure of tackling one of the biggest jobs in nuclear decommissioning to distract us from working safely day-to-day.”

i3 Decommissioning Partners was a runner-up in the in-Cumbria Business Awards Large Business of the Year category. Visit www.in-cumbria.com/magazines for more about the awards.