Michell Bearings has been awarded Fit For Nuclear (F4N) status.

The F4N status is a recognition by the Nuclear AMRC which demonstrates that a business has completed a journey of improvements and is capable of supplying to the nuclear industry.

The status, which is valid up to three years, measures a company against the standards required to work in the nuclear industry including; new build, operations and decommissioning. The recognition aims to facilitate and instil best practices that ensure safety is an overriding priority and that rigorous standards for health, safety, security and protection of the environment are in place.

To help meet the requirements, a nuclear safety culture training programme was rolled out on a new learning management system. Employees also completed 6S training, a system that aims to promote and sustain workplace organisation to a high level in order to improve safety and productivity.

In addition, non-managerial employees completed an anonymous safety climate questionnaire about health and safety in the business. The survey, which was completed by 90 employees, provided a reflection on what the business is doing well and the areas that require improvement.

Jeff Hall, Quality Manager, said: “Although Michell Bearings had been a supplier to the nuclear sector for a significant period, we did not hold any formal recognition of this. The F4N programme was identified as an ideal way of helping us demonstrate to both customers and OEMs that Michell Bearings understand the unique requirements of the nuclear sector and its commitment to delivering high quality nuclear products and services in accordance with the principles of a nuclear safety culture.

Overall, we found the whole F4N process both enlightening and rewarding in the way it has enabled us to identify potential areas for improvement and to improve awareness throughout the business on the safety-critical nature of this sector.”

Find out more about our product range.