A day in the life
Matthew Lee | Sarah Beard | Rob Way | Daniel Jones
Matthew Lee (Environmental Coordinator)
Alarm Set
07.00 Wake up, bleary eyed to the tune of my alarm clock! I have been at Sellafield for a couple of years now so I am quite set with my morning routine so get ready quickly.
07.35 Leave the house and drive to work in my car school. Site operates a policy of no single occupancy vehicles, so you need a reliable car school, it helps that I live with a couple of graduates from site, in fact that's what a lot of us do when we arrive (its like being a student again). Traffic varies so I like to leave early enough to get there in case of queues (normally takes about 15-20 minutes from where I live).
08.10 Official work start time, so it's turning on the computer, logging in and chatting over a coffee as we start the day.
Morning at the office
08.20 Check and return missed calls and trawl through my inbox. I have 2 main roles at Sellafield, my primary job is as an Environmental Coordinator for what we know as "Magnox" (the name of the operating unit I work in), and this job entails writing environmental assessments, managing environmental systems and improvements and liaising with plant staff and other departments on site. Today I have to complete an Environmental Risk Assessment for some work on a roof of one of our buildings (I have to look at waste routes, chemical use etc). This will take me most of the morning and will require me to chat with the people carrying out the job to see what they are planning and then assessing this from an environmental perspective (the job will need someone to look at conventional safety and radiological safety assessments too). I will likely need to make tweaks to the plan to minimise the environmental impact as far as possible. This role allows me to see loads of what is going on at Sellafield and also have some real responsibility and impact, in fact the work cannot go ahead unless I sign to say I am satisfied that the environment is satisfactorily protected.
My other role (as a secondment) is in the Training and Development Department for site, here I get involved in the recruitment and development of the "Talent" we have on site, so that's training courses, our Graduate Scheme and various processes for getting the best out of our staff.
Graduate Support
11.00. Risk Assessment complete, its time for a bit of light relief. I have become very involved in the Graduate Community we have on site, I was part of our Graduate Support Group (kind of like a really small version of a students union), there are over a hundred of us in the graduate network, where we support new starters as they get settled into the area, share our logbooks for our professional development and act as "buddies" to upcoming recruits. We also have a big social scene, the area we live in is quite quiet but there are so many of us that you can always find something to do (whether that's walking the fells or drinking on a night out). I use this 15 minutes to catch up on emails from the new graduates and organise a night out at the weekend for them. A number of them are asking for a tour of our active areas (the largest of these we call "Sep" which is short for the "Chemical Separation Area"), so I look at my diary at see when I can fit a tour in and then invite the guys to join me.
Lunch
12.00 I always take my lunch in the main canteen on site (we have a number of canteens with the site being so big). I meet my friends from the scheme and others and we always sit together in a big gang (about 14 of us) to eat. All the grads form close friendships with each other as well as a broader relationship with all the younger guys on site. I choose to eat the hot food bought from the canteen but others bring their own lunches. Generally we have a chat and a laugh at lunch and try not to talk about work too much, while planning what to do that night and at the weekend. Evenings are usually the gym and then food and TV (Hollyoaks is a firm favourite of the grads), while weekends are normally a night out in town, Sunday lunch together and general lazing around, although a lot of the others go climbing or mountain biking (I prefer to recover from a hangover).
Meet new starters
13:00 Back to the office briefly before going to our training centre (in my secondary role) to meet a few of the new guys who have started this week. They will have had a site induction and then they meet the graduate development team for an introduction to the scheme and I chat with them about what it is like to be a graduate at Sellafield. They all seem nice and keen but a little nervous (but that is to be expected really!). I give a mini presentation and then take questions and explain the role of our Graduate Support Group and also the Graduate Database we keep for all information relating to life as a grad here.
The new guys also get a talk about what they need to do get chartered by their various professional institutes, this is a requirement of the scheme and we are accredited by most of the major institutes (one of the reasons we get so many graduate applications). All of this is supported and paid for by the company which is a bonus.
14:00 After the session I wait with the new guys as they are met and picked up by their line managers for the first time. It's an exciting time as this point is officially the start of their careers.
Meetings and Home Time
14.15 Back to the office again, moving around site can take some time as it is so big but there are regular site buses for those without cars on site. I have my car as it was my turn to drive this morning.
14:30 Its time to get back to my other job (I am an unusual case where I work 2 jobs simultaneously, most people take a secondment full time, this is actually the preferred route but Sellafield is nothing if not flexible). I have a meeting now about the progress of some of our environmental improvements, this involves me getting information from people carrying out work, they tell me how it's going, detail any issues and we consider target completion dates. This information is used by us as well as our auditors and regulators (the EA). I have to present at the meeting as well as take the minutes so it's a bit of a juggle but that's what we get paid for I suppose!
16.20 End of the working day, time to pick up my car school and head home. Tonight is a big night as with the new starters we have arranged a meet and greet session at the local Wetherspoons, at least 40-50 graduates will be there to meet (and overwhelm with names to remember!) the new guys. This is a really important event as these people like to see friendly faces and to know that it's not all about work.
Sarah Beard (Chemistry)
Getting up
06.00 It doesn't take long to get used to the early starts, in fact I quite like it in the summer when it's bright. Besides, my other half would starve all day if I wasn't up to make his lunch and pack him off to work!
07.30 Leave the house. As I car share this is my first social fix of the day - a good chance to catch up with colleagues and friends before work.
08.00 Get into the office and sort myself out with a coffee while my computer starts up.
Morning at the office
08.10 This seems like a very strange (and early) start time to most people, but as everyone at Sellafield works at this time it feels normal. First thing I do is check my emails and phone calls and reply to them. I then usually spend my morning in and out of meetings, which I love, as interacting with people is one of my strong points. Due to the nature of my job the people I meet range from technical people, to HR personnel, and even some senior managers and directors. Before lunch, I send an email out to all of the new graduates with a science background, introducing myself as the Science Co-ordinator from the Graduate Support Group, and invite them all to a meeting so I can explain the basics of chartership and how we can help.
Lunch
12.00 Although I nearly always have lunch at 12pm it's very flexible because I'm office based. I usually go and meet friends in one of the canteens, and even have a trip to the Sellafield Centre on special occasions. It's really nice to get out of the office for a bit, take my mind off work and have another good catch up with everyone.
An afternoons work
13.00 My afternoon can consist of much of the same meetings as some mornings, but I like to try and use the afternoon to have time at my desk to do all of the work that has come out of my morning meetings. At the moment this involves producing technical reports or monthly updates for the executive board. I also make time to update a database I set up to advertise events organised by professional bodies. It contains a huge range of lectures and conferences that graduates can attend to help with their work and chartership based development. With so much work to do that really interests me, the day passes very quickly. Before I know it it's time to go home again, and one of the benefits of starting early means you get to go home early too (I normally leave at 4.20pm).
An enjoyable evening
19.30 I'm really into dance classes so I often go to salsa or ballroom classes on week nights. However, I also try to get involved with work based things in the evening - they're great for the development of graduates and there's a huge range of things to choose from (the reason I set my database up). At this time of year we have a lot of new graduates starting and I'm involved with the strong graduate network we have within the company, so we try and arrange social nights at our local Wetherspoons so that new graduates can meet each other, and the older ones too. There are also a great deal of lectures, some relevant to work, others just for fun, all run by the professional bodies. The next one I'm going to is in 3 days and is run by the RSC - it's about the Science of Chocolate ... with a tasting session at the end (not the only reason I'm going ... honest!)
Rob Way (Physics)
Waking up and arriving at work
05.40 Attempt to wake up, it is never easy to get up, especially when it is nearly always dark outside. However the thought of what today might bring always adds the extra impetus needed to see the bad side of 6am. Work hours are slightly flexible, normally 8.10am to 4.20pm so I prefer to work earlier so I get those long evenings in the summer.
06.40 Leave the house to wait for my car pool. Sellafield run a car pool system, so you need those friends to get onto site! It does mean that for ¾ of the journeys to and from work you can catch up on that sleep you missed the night before as someone else is doing the driving.
07.15 Arrive at work, sign in (it's a safety thing) and log into the system. This is normally the time I look at what I scrawled on a sticky the afternoon before, just as I was leaving the office, on what needs to get done today! Matching this with what is in my diary normally means it is going to be a busy day. Also time to catch up on my-e-mails before any more or anyone else arrives.
Technical Committee meeting
09.00 I have recently helped to set up a Technical Committee for the Waste department, and have been rewarded (or is it cursed?) with being appointed the secretary for it. Any documents that need a technical peer review tend to go through the committee which is chaired by the Waste Head of Technical and has representatives from many different departments within Waste. As secretary for this I have to organise the meetings, take the minutes and am still expected to make active challenges as a committee member! This keeps me busy but gives me a great insight into the many areas of technical challenge within Waste.
11.00 Off to another meeting to discuss the suite of detection equipment we have in one of our plants. I help to look after it and analyse the data that is generated by it. It helps to ensure we are complying with the regulators requirements. It was quite a steep learning curve when I first took responsibility but I like a challenge, and there are certainly a number of those in the job!
12.00 Lunch lasts for 45 minutes but it can be taken flexibly, I like to go off as soon as it's the afternoon, starting at 7.15am makes those mornings long! There are a number of canteens on site to eat at and I like to bring my sandwiches to them to get out the office and meet up with friends or work colleagues for a chat.
13.00 The new graduate starters have been arriving over the past few months and we have a new one in Waste Technical. I am meeting him now to check he is settling in alright and to pass some of the work I have been doing over to him. Checking that he is alright and enjoying his time so far I start explaining a file of information I have collated on a project I am now passing over for him to get his teeth into. It takes longer than you think, you forget how many acronyms you speak in and I keep having to explain what I am talking about. But he is smart (of course, he passed the assessment centre didn't he?!) and quickly picks up the information. Looks like I may have to start watching my tail feathers!
14.30 Having now been able to get back to my desk I can finally sit down and write up those minutes for the Technical Committee before I forget what happened and I cannot decipher my own hand writing! It looks like I might get through today without any new problems that need my attention ...
Socialising with colleagues
16.00 Hitting the send button on the minutes it is the end of another busy day! It is great, I can be home by 4.15pm and still have half the afternoon and all the evening left to do what I want. This is lovely in the summer if you want to take advantage of the stunning walking country on your doorstep. Tonight I am off to the local pub for a few drinks with a group of graduates who started at the same time as me. I have made lots of new friends with both my new work colleagues and those that started the same time as me. Although I will not be out too late, 5.40am is quite early you know ...
Daniel Jones (CE&I design engineer)
Starting the Day
6:15 – Wake up. The Risley site operates a flexi-time policy, allowing you to start between 7:30 and 9:30. I prefer to be in at 7:30; there’s very little traffic through Warrington and the office will be nice and quiet for an hour or so until the masses arrive.
Arriving at Work
7:30 - I arrive at my desk and check my emails. My current role is as a CE&I design engineer in the THORP department, so I have a few emails from suppliers providing quotes for various pieces of kit and a few emails from plant engineers providing some information I need to progress the design work for a task I’ve been assigned.
9:00 - My line manager collars me to help him out with a breakdown that has just happened on plant: we spend most of the morning checking a number of drawings to try and understand how the breakdown has occurred and what we need to do to rectify the situation.
11:00 - Once the breakdown is sorted, I get to continue with my design work: I’m currently working on a modification that is required in one of the control systems in THORP. I spend some time with an experienced CE&I engineer to discuss my ideas with him and to get his opinions before putting my design proposal together.
Lunch Time
12:00 - One benefit of working at Risley is the surrounding area; there’s plenty of trees and greenery around so I head out for some fresh air and to stretch my legs.
13.00 - My three month interim review for my appraisal is due so I sit down with my line manager to discuss if I’m reaching the targets I have been set and if I need any additional support. This also gives me an opportunity to discuss my long term goals and how I intend to achieve them.
14:00 - As I’m working towards chartered engineer status within the IET I spend some time filling in my ‘career manager’ profile on the IET website to keep track of the work I am doing in my design role and which behavioural and technical competencies I am developing.
14:30 - The THORP CE&I team normally have a meeting once a month to discuss any changes within the company that might affect us and any points of interest, so I sit in on this meeting and learn a little about the new team of directors and the improvements they are proposing.
Home Time
15:30 - Today’s a Friday which means a slightly earlier finish than normal, so I head back home before getting off to the gym. I’m only 20 minutes away from both Liverpool and Manchester (both are easily accessible by bus and train) so there’s a never ending list of things to do in the area: there’s no time to be bored!
