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Defence programme
Weapons
The Weapon's Programme delivers effective regulation of activities on the Aldermaston and Burghfield nuclear licensed sites. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) manages the sites to provide and maintain the warheads for the UK's nuclear deterrent. AWE's work is undertaken on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.
The overall objective of the programme is to ensure that AWE as the licensee are implementing adequate arrangements for complying with all relevant legislation and that there are suitable and sufficient resources for them to maintain and operate the site. As part of our intervention strategy we will ensure that AWE understands the hazards and threats they are dealing with and are committed to the adoption of good practice and continuous improvement.
Over the 2010-2015 period we will ensure that, the potential implications of the Government's Strategic Defence Spending Review (SDSR) on the safety of AWE's current and future operations are fully considered.
In recognition of the nature of the activities and the division of regulatory responsibilities on the sites, intervention strategies are developed and agreed with the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) of MOD in accordance with the HSE/MoD Memorandum of Understanding.
Regulation of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme
The Propulsion Programme delivers effective and proportionate regulation of the range of defence-related sites that support the UK's fleet of nuclear-powered deterrent and hunter-killer submarines. The main licensed sites are at Derby, Barrow-in-Furness and at the Devonport Royal Dockyard in Plymouth. The licensable activities on these sites vary considerably with fuel manufacture at Rolls Royce, Derby, submarine construction and commissioning at BAE Systems Marine, Barrow-in-Furness and submarine repair/refit/refuelling at Devonport Royal Dockyard. There also remains a nuclear licensed site with a reduced scope of activity at Rosyth Royal Dockyard.
The Propulsion Programme also regulates activities at a number of non-licensed sites under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and relevant statutory provisions, principally the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999, the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. These sites are HM Naval Base Clyde (the operational base and nuclear weapons depot for the UK's fleet of Trident nuclear deterrent submarines), Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment (a land-based test reactor) and a range of Operational Berths around the UK.
The overall objective of the programme is to ensure that operators have made and are implementing adequate arrangements for complying with all relevant legislation, are suitably resourced, understand the hazards and threats they are dealing with and are committed to the adoption of good practice and continuous improvement.
In recognition of the nature of the activities and the division of regulatory responsibilities on the sites, intervention strategies are developed and agreed with the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) of MOD in accordance with the HSE/MoD Memorandum of Understanding.
Safety Assessment Principles for Nuclear Facilities
Nuclear site licence conditions
The use of computers in safety-critical applications
The licensing of nuclear
installations
The tolerability of risk from nuclear power stations