Our People is a regular feature focusing on staff at the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the work we do every day to help keep the nuclear industry safe and secure.
Today, we meet Owen Booler, a nuclear safety inspector in our Mechanical Engineering and Structural Integrity (MESI) specialism, regulating the work of EDF to ensure its graphite reactors continue to operate safely.
Owen joined ONR in February 2024, as a nuclear safety inspector specialising in graphite in operating reactors.
His work involves monitoring the UK's Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR) fleet as part of a team of inspectors who ensure the required standards of safety and security are achieved in the most practical way.
"What drew me to nuclear regulation was more than just a fresh challenge. It was about stepping beyond my comfort zone and knowing that my work truly matters to public safety," explains Owen.
A career shaped by change
Before joining ONR, Owen spent years at nuclear specialists Jacobs and its predecessor companies. "There was an ongoing joke that despite having worked for five different firms, I'd never actually moved from my desk. It's a testament to the ever-changing landscape of the industry," he says.
His consulting background took him across the Atlantic, where he developed business strategies for next-generation nuclear technologies and drove commercial negotiations that opened a new market for the consultancy firm. But it was the pull of regulation and the chance to make a direct impact on public safety that brought him to ONR.
No such thing as a typical week
Owen says his normal day-to-day role is about continuous learning, and adds: “Regulating graphite cores is done via first principles, which involves ongoing development.”
Beyond inspections and assessments, Owen coordinates mechanical engineering and structural integrity research and is also pioneering a new knowledge management process using generative artificial intelligence to help the team work more effectively.
This is improving technical resilience across his specialist area and is now being rolled out in other parts of ONR.
Owen says: "I really enjoy a challenge, whether it's assessing dutyholder arrangements or developing a new process, and ONR definitely provides ample opportunities. But what I really enjoy is working with other people - the friends I've made since joining are great and very supportive.”
Making the complex work
So what makes Owen's role important? His expertise and independent analysis, passed onto the licensee through regular engagements, helps it demonstrate that their plants are safe to operate, building confidence that graphite cores can perform their crucial safety functions.
Effective regulation for graphite cores is complex, but Owen and his colleagues embrace it.
“We have individual responsibility for the different areas in the safety case. However, we work closely as a team, challenging one another, and making a conscious effort to draw in external perspectives from our graphite technical advisory committee, research collaborators at the University of Manchester, and the Health and Safety Executive," he says.
Life beyond regulation
When he's not regulating the industry, Owen lives in south Manchester with his wife and their two energetic boys, aged six and two.
Gone are his days playing and coaching American football for the Manchester Titans. These days, he's swapped helmet and shoulder pads for something a bit more sedate: bellringing.
But his real passion outside work is board games. Owen helps co-run a thriving monthly gaming group that attracts about 100 enthusiasts.
Owen says: “It's much more than just a place to play games - it's a vibrant community where people from all walks of life come together. We strive to create an inclusive space that fosters connections and offers support.
“It's rewarding to see friendships form through something as simple, and as fun, as a board game."