‘Our People’ is a regular feature focusing on staff at the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the work we do every day to keep the nuclear industry safe and secure.
It aims to bring our jobs to life while increasing understanding of our role among key stakeholders.
Today, we hear from Matthew Dingsdale, Mechanical and Structural Integrity Specialist Lead for ONR’s Sellafield, Decommissioning, Fuel and Waste (SDFW) division.
Matt completed his degree in Aerospace at the University of Bath but moved into mechanical engineering after deciding designing planes was not for him.
Based in Bootle, Merseyside, Matt joined ONR in 2018 as part of the nuclear graduates scheme.
After completing this, he spent nine months at ONR followed by ten months working at EDF in the fuel route systems branch at Heysham and Hartlepool nuclear power stations, working on wheel flange deformation.
Next, Matt spent 12 months assessing the UK HPR1000 reactor as part of ONR’s Generic Design Assessment (GDA) team before moving to a secondment at Sellafield at its Risley base, near Warrington.
In his current role within SDFW, Matt makes technical judgements both theoretically when looking at safety case submissions and on-site when supporting inspectors.
Matt uses his technical skills to judge whether the plans for mechanical components within a dutyholder’s safety case submission are safe, checking they are in line with ONR’s safety standards.
Matt also supports inspectors and joins site assessments to provide technical expertise, for example with ventilation equipment, ensuring that components are safe from a mechanical perspective.
He is also ONR’s Alpha Resilience and Capability (ARC) representative, where he acts as an observer providing regulatory advice to the delivery board.
ARC is a UK-wide collaboration between the UK government, nuclear industry and wider nuclear sector which aims to address the skills gap in alpha containment – the safe and secure management of Special Nuclear Materials (uranium, plutonium and americium).
Matt said: “Building relationships with dutyholders and establishing two-way rapport is a good way to ensure inspections are efficient and effective.
“I love both the variety of the work and people at ONR. My job enables me to engage with people in corporate and technical roles, so I’m always learning from others with different backgrounds and different priorities.”
Asked about giving advice to those starting out in the nuclear industry, he said: “Believe in your own competence. You will work alongside people with decades of experience but your expertise is valid and a fresh perspective is an asset too.”
Outside of work, Matt enjoys walking his dog and is a keen runner. Having already completed a number of half marathons, including Manchester, Yorkshire and Blackpool, he is considering taking part in some ultra-marathons in the future.