Steering group

The steering group comprises:

Biographies

Chairman Geoff Edmondson, BSc (Hons), DMS, CEng, MIMMM, FCQI, CQP lives in Cumbria.

I started my career as a trainee metallurgist with the Millom Hematite Ore and Iron Company in 1966. On the closure of the ironworks in 1968 I joined UKAEA as a Scientific Assistant at the Windscale and Calder Works.

From 1970 to 1973 I studied Metallurgy at Manchester University graduating with a BSc Honours degree. I then returned to Sellafield where I held a number of positions with BNFL, British Nuclear Group and latterly Sellafield Limited namely - Scientific Officer 1973-77, Metallurgist 1977-81, Senior Quality Control Engineer 1981-87, Quality Systems Group Manager 1987-88, Senior QA Engineer 1988-90, THORP Construction QA Manager 1990-92, Quality Support Manager 1992-2000, Audit Manager 2000-02, Head of Assessment and Audit 2002-06 and Quality Capability Manager 2006 until my retirement in September 2007. Over this period I have gained a wide range of experience of reprocessing activities and management arrangements associated with a large and diverse nuclear site.

I have been very active in IQA/CQI over the last 20 years. I am currently CQI Sector Head Nuclear, Cumbria Branch Secretary and Acting Treasurer, a member of the Northern Regional Committee and a member of the CQI Stakeholder and Professional Policy Boards. Previously, I served on the IQA Membership Panel and Regional Representatives Panel which I chaired from 1999-2004 when it was replaced by the Branch and Regions Board.

NucSIG Secretary Mike Underwood, BSc (Hons), FCQI, CQP lives in Lancashire

I am a second generation nuclear industry engineer, as a family we followed my father who was an electrical commissioning engineer, around Magnox Reactor sites as they were progressively build (Bradwell, Dungeness A and Olbury to be specific). My first job after graduating from Durham University was as a Manufacturing Engineer with GEC Distribution Switchgear in Openshaw, Manchester.

In 1980 I joined BNFL at Springfields, near Preston, in the Quality Assurance Department cutting my teeth supervising a team of inspectors checking AGR nuclear fuel prior to despatch to reactors. I had a number of different roles at Springfields associated with QA and procurement before moving in 2002 to become involved in Magnox reactor decommissioning - so in the family we built them, fuelled them and now we're helping take them down. To be specific I am now the Magnox North Decommissioning QMS Manager, Magnox North is a new ex BNFL company.

I'm based at Daresbury, near Warrington. Magnox North is a Site Licence Company which is managed by EnergySolutions and works for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Steering Group member: Iain J McNair TD, BSc, MBA, CEng, FICE, FCQI, CQP, FGS, MinstRE lives in Merseyside

Iain graduated from Paisley in 1973 with a BSc in Civil Engineering, having undertaken undergraduate training with Paisley Burgh in the design and construction of foundations and heavy structures for a major sewage treatment works. He then joined James Williamson & Partners in Glasgow in the design of Peterhead and Dinorwic Power Stations (1973 – 82). With them he became the QA Engineer for the Torness Nuclear Power Station Preliminary Works, including the Sea Wall.

He transferred to NNC as QA Engineer for the Torness Main Construction Works (civil engineering and electrical / C&I) (1982-86). He set up NNC's Faslane & Coulport site construction and civil design QA team (1986-89) before joining NII as an Inspector specializing in QA / Management of Safety (1989-92). For NII he co-ordinated the UK licensee agreements on drafts (produced by a UK consultant to IAEA) for the IAEA 50-C-QA code and associated guides, then represented the UK at the IAEA working group meetings. NII then persuaded Iain to become a Principal Inspector in Civil Engineering and External Hazards; a role he has operated in since, across all areas of NII's regulatory responsibility.

Between 1966 and 2003 Iain served with the Royal Engineers (TA) in a number of regimental and staff appointments, retiring as a Major. He attended the 1985 TA Command and Staff Course at the army's Staff College Camberley. From 1997 to 2001, Iain undertook a MBA in Engineering Management, through the Engineering Management Partnership and Loughborough University.

Steering Group member: Martin McKay TD, BSc (Hons), FCQI, CQP, MIOSH, AIEMA, MAPS, lives in Cumbria

I graduated in Geology and Mining and spent my early working years in mineral exploration and then tunnelling. In the mid eighties I moved into the offshore contracting area with Brambles Heavy Contracting which was a leading heavy lift and project logistics contractor in the oil and gas sector. In 1990 I took on the role of Quality Manager and then acquired the safety and environment roles taking the organization through BS5750, ISO9001 and on to developing an integrated management system in the late nineties. On leaving Brambles I worked briefly in construction with Barhale Construction and engineering consulting with Carl Bro, again as a management systems practitioner.

In 2005 I made a move to the nuclear industry, joining the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in Cumbria where I am currently the Quality Manager with additional responsibility for environment, business excellence and business continuity. In the short time that I have been with NDA I have taken the organization through ISO 9001 certification and we are presently working towards ISO14001 and developing systems to meet the requirements of the EFQM Business Excellence model.

Outside of work I served with the Territorial Army from 1980 to 1995 with a number of units including the HAC and the Royal Engineers, since 1992 I have been a Special Constable initially with North Yorkshire and now with Cumbria.

Steering Group member: James Bryson, BSc, MIET, MCQI, CQP lives in Wiltshire.

I have worked in the Ministry of Defence in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme since 1981 which has involved my input in a broad marine, nuclear and weapon quality engineering projects responsible for managing the correct implementation and maintenance of all quality standards applied to the naval reactor plant, plant submarine systems and facilities in areas of high integrity and nuclear area implications. This included membership of the Nuclear Procedure Authorisation Group for compliance and completeness of nuclear procedures during pre criticality and after plant maintenance activities.

In 2000 I took up an appointment as a project manager working in Aberdeen in the UK offshore sector with high integrity and HVAC systems before returning to the MOD in July 2002 as the Deputy Business Manager for the remote land-based naval reactor prototype at Dounreay. I chaired the prototype reactor plant trials, operation and maintenance mid life plant shutdown and addressed the safety case structure and programme issues for the justification of the Navy's new reactor core by Rolls Royce.

In April 2004 I joined the Nuclear Propulsion Safety Directorate as the Naval Reactor Plant Authorisee's Provenance Manager. I manage the due process and advice on the use of UK Naval Reactor Plant information to support nuclear submarine berthing and docking activities including long maintenance overhaul periods during defuel/refuel of new and used reactor cores in UK. This includes the decommissioning of submarines and final defuel of the core to the NDA's Sellafield wet inlet facility.

I am an active MoD University Liaison Officer.

Steering Group member: Graham Watson BSc (Hons), MCQI, CQP lives in Gloucestershire.

I joined the CEGB as a physics graduate. After 16 years in research and development in gas cooled reactors I started my second career in quality management. I have developed and audited management systems (quality and environmental) at the corporate centre and at operating and decommissioning power stations. I started representing the electricity supply industry in standards development at BSI in 1992. I continue to be an active member of ISO technical committee TC 176 (Quality Assurance and Quality Management) and am involved in the development of ISO 9000 and the terminology of the ISO 9000 family of standards. I also act as liaison between ISO/TC 176 and the International Atomic Energy Agency on management system standards. I left the then Magnox Electric at the end of 2007 and now provide consultancy to companies operating and decommissioning nuclear power stations and specialist services to the IAEA.

Steering Group member: Paul Murphy, MCQI, CQP lives in Caithness.

Paul is a time-served and Chartered marine engineer and a Chartered
nuclear engineer; he also currently holds IRCA QMS 2000 lead auditor
status.

Paul first got involved with the nuclear industry working on Sizewell 'B' contracts with Lloyd's Register. He joined the CEGB in 1989 and  later accepted the position of QA Engineer for Hunterston 'A' & 'B'.  He worked in the Business Improvement Group at Hunterston 'B' for two years after privatization using TQM and EFQM tools and models. Paul also
worked as a quality consultant in the Ukraine. Paul was recognized by WANO for his achievements in advocating and adopting the Peer Review approach to process audits, using WANO/INPO Criteria to present authorative and compelling findings. 

After a spell at BE's Scottish HQ, Paul moved to Dounreay in 2004 and became Quality Manager in 2006. Paul played a key role in achieving third party certification for Scottish Nuclear Sites and led the team that achieved BS 18001: 2007 certification for Dounreay.

Steering Group member: Howard Cooper lives in Cumbria

Joined Sellafield in 1988 after graduating from the University of Bath with a BSc honours degree in Physics with Applied Physics.

Spent the first decade in a range of commissioning, operations and technical support roles, principally associated with the Thorp plant.

In 2000, became MOX Quality Manager in the wake of the MDF event, lead the development of the MOX quality system and heavily involved in the development of MOX customer confidence.

Role broadened in 2003 to include the quality leadership of six of the major operating units on the Sellafield site – worked to standardize the role and approach of the quality management teams supporting the business.

In 2005 took on the role of EHS&Q Business Office Head to lead the deployment of programme management / programme controls and financial governance approaches in the EHS&Q Function.

Role broadened to include the Functional Leadership for Quality, EHS&Q projects and service delivery accountabilities in support of operations across the site, including process ownership for management systems and records processes.

In addition to the formal accountabilities of the role, has the role of Senior Coordinatior (Physics) in support of the Sellafield graduate scheme, and is heavily involved with leadership development as an assessor and mentor on various leadership programmes.