A skateboard has been used to speed up work at the Dungeness A site which is undergoing decommissioning in Kent, UK. The innovative solution also reduced cost and personnel dose.

Rather than using an off-the-shelf inspection system costing £5000 to inspect underneath equipment used for waste processing at the site, two enterprising engineers decided to fix a camera to a £6 skateboard.

The solution, developed by Matt Challiss and Peter Prior, eliminated the need for modifications that would have been required use off the shelf kit and cut the radiological dose to personnel who no longer needed to access the area.

"This is an example of a very innovative approach to an engineering challenge on site, and shows how sometimes the simplest ideas can be the most effective," said Chris Milne, Dungeness Engineering Manager. “The solution was designed in-house, was easy to make and performed well in operation.”

Dungeness is now considering using the kit for further inspection work at the site.

Photo: Skateboard inspection solution has saved money and time at Dungeness A (Credit Magnox)