Joe Nithsdale, Nuclear Safety Inspector at the Office for Nuclear Regulation, will be presenting at Hazardex Live 2026 on emerging issues for internal hazards in the nuclear industry.

The UK and international nuclear industry is seeing an increasing number of new and novel reactor designs undergoing assessment, as the world seeks to take advantage of small modular reactor technology. Coupled with this is the desire amongst dutyholders and designers alike to take advantage of green energy and green technology solutions on their sites whilst simultaneously managing legacy nuclear material and structures. The Office for Nuclear Regulation is the UKs independent nuclear regulator which seeks to protect society by securing safe nuclear operations. This brief includes internal hazards and the associated risks to both engineered safety features and nuclear material.

This presentation will discuss learning from ONR’s recent assessments of new reactor technologies, focussed on hazards, as well as the impact of other emerging issues on internal hazards nuclear safety. These include the interface with sustainability and green technology and the application of learning from nationally significant events such as the Grenfell Tower fire.

About the speaker:

Joe Nithsdale has worked in the nuclear industry for the last 10 years initially as a consultant nuclear engineer and for the last four years as a nuclear safety inspector within ONR's Nuclear Internal Hazards and Site Safety specialism. He holds degrees in physics and nuclear science and technology from the University of Manchester and was elected as a chartered physicist in 2019. He currently splits his time between the assessment of new reactors and specialist inspection work within ONR's Decommissioning, Fuel and Waste division.