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The notices have been issued to members of the MEH alliance responsible for mechanical, electrical, heating, ventilation and air conditioning works on the Somerset nuclear new build: Altrad Babcock, Altrad Services, Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick, Cavendish Nuclear and NG Bailey.
ONR carried out the inspection of the Unit 1 HF electrical building last December as part of a focused review of MEH fire safety arrangements.
Inspectors found a series of significant shortfalls, including the absence of a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, inadequate means of escape with too few emergency exits for the number of workers present, and a substantial build-up of combustible materials in a staircase designated as an emergency escape route.
The enforcement action requires all five firms to put improved arrangements in place and embed them to address the compliance failures and prevent a repeat.
Mahtab Khan, ONR’s head of regulation for EPR, said fire safety was a legal requirement and not optional.
“Fire safety is an important part of our regulatory activity and is not optional – it is a legal requirement that protects lives,” Khan said.
“We will not hesitate to take enforcement action where safety standards fall short, and we expect all dutyholders to treat fire safety with the urgency it demands.
“Working alongside the principal contractor and MEH alliance, we have made good progress in understanding the root causes of these shortfalls to ensure they are addressed.”