Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Nuclear
LLC reports
This report is issued as part of the Health and Safety Executive's commitment to make information about inspection and regulatory activities relating to the above sites available to the public. It is for distribution to members of the AWE Local Liaison Committee (LLC) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Aldermaston and Burghfield. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attend LLC meetings and will be happy to respond to any questions raised there by members. Any other person wishing to enquire about matters covered by this report may contact HSE's Nuclear Directorate Information Centre on 0151-951-4103.
1. A total of 11 different NII Inspectors visited the Aldermaston and Burghfield sites during the quarter. Inspections were made on the following days:
2. Inspections are undertaken for the purpose of monitoring compliance with (i) the conditions attached by HSE to the nuclear site licences, and (ii) other relevant provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, including the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999. In this period routine inspections included:
3. Issues arising from these and previous inspections are being pursued. Inspections were made also by HSE's Factory Inspectors, Explosives Inspectors, and Fire Surveyor.
4. Fire Certification: The HSE Fire Surveyor has continued a programme of planned inspections to identify improvements to buildings necessary for the issue of new fire certificates under the Fire Certificates (Special Premises) Regulations 1976. NII has welcomed the increasing resource which the licensee has given in the past year to identifying and rectifying shortcomings in this area. To formalise the position, NII has asked for, and the licensee has agreed to provide, a programme for future improvements covering all the remaining buildings on the sites.
5. Annual Safety Review Meeting: The meeting for 2002 was well supported by AWE plc, with six Directors attending. An inspector from the Environment Agency accompanied the HSE team. The licensee's safety performance and plans were discussed, and NII indicated a number of topics that would be given particular regulatory attention in the coming year. They included: control of organisational change; fire; peer review of safety cases; inspection and maintenance of buildings; design standards; legacy wastes.
6. Visit by HM Chief Inspector: Mr L G Williams visited Aldermaston in May for discussions with the licensee's managing director, Mr W C Haight.
7. Retaining competence: Much effort has gone to ensuring that the licensee has arrangements to remain what is called an 'intelligent customer'. This means that sufficient and competent staff are always retained to allow the licensee to remain in control of any safety-related activities carried out on its behalf by contractors or others, thus preserving the basis on which it was licensed.
8. Life of a major production facility: At NII's request, AWE plc gave a presentation to NII on its study to decide how long to keep one of the major old production facilities operating. This affects regulatory decisions on when that plant can be decommissioned and any consequent new production capabilities needed elsewhere.
9. As part of its regulation under the nuclear site licences NII issues formal regulatory documents, which include Consents, Approvals, Directions, and Licence Instruments 1. No such documents were issued during the quarter.
1 Licence Instruments are issued to acknowledge receipt of specified documents, eg proposals for a new or modified plant; to stipulate whether the Inspectorate intends to examine these documents, or to agree to the start of a particular phase of construction, commissioning, modification, or decommissioning.
Published on the HSE web site 23 September 2002