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 site available to the public. It is for distribution to members of the Devonport Local Liaison Committee and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Devonport Royal Dockyard and HM Naval Base.
The Site Inspector of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attends 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.
Inspections on site were made on the following days:
A total of 15 NII Inspectors, including HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations, visited Devonport during this quarter spending a total of 85 days on site. Joint inspections were carried out with inspectors from the Ministry of Defence internal regulatory organisation, Naval Nuclear Regulatory Panel, NNRP.
An unannounced inspection into work with ionising radiation on HMS Triumph was carried out by two inspectors between 0100 and 0315 on 11 July 2002.
The planned inspection programme for September was cancelled to allow extra readiness inspections to be carried out on 9 Dock.
Inspections are undertaken for the purposes of monitoring compliance with the conditions attached by HSE to the nuclear site licence, together with other relevant statutory provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974).
During this period, inspections have continued to be focused on activities associated with the readiness inspections of 9 Dock in anticipation of refuelling activities planned for HMS Vanguard commencing later in 2002 and early 2003, preparation for the defuelling of HMS Valiant, operations in 10 Dock or generally for activities across the site. Particular attention has been paid to compliance by the licensee with licence condition 21, (relating to the commissioning of plant or process which may affect safety), 23, (the requirement to have an adequate safety case and such operating rules as this calls for), 24, (the requirement to carry out safety related activities in accordance with written instructions), 26, (the control and supervision of specified activities), 27, (relating to the availability of safety mechanisms) 28, (the requirement for maintenance arrangements), 36, (the control of organisational change), in relation to the Warship Modernisation Support Initiative project. The findings were generally considered adequate but areas for improvement were identified which were communicated to the licensee for action.
Compliance with the Ionising Radiations Regulations, with respect to work being carried out within the 9 Dock area was inspected. Whilst this was considered to be generally adequate, a number of suggestions for improvements were made which the licensee is considering.
Much of NII's effort at Devonport continues to be spent on the inspection and assessment of the following major project:
Commissioning of the new facilities built to permit the overhaul and refuelling of the Trident nuclear submarines, including 9 Dock, LLRF, the Nuclear Transfer Route and the shore-based cooling systems, is ongoing. The commissioning has been divided into a number of discrete stages and regulatory hold points established which prevent the licensee from proceeding from one stage to the next until the Inspectorate is content that the work can be carried out safely and that the associated risks are as low as reasonably practicable.
None.
There were no non-routine matters dealt with during the period.
As part of its regulation under the nuclear site licence NII issues formal regulatory documents, which include Consents, Approvals, Acknowledgements, Specifications and Notifications.
During this quarter NII:
No enforcement action was undertaken but the progress of the licensee in discharging the Improvement Notice, relating to maintenance activities and issued earlier in the year, continues to be monitored. The indications at present suggest that the requirement to meet the 31 March 2003 completion date will be met.
Inspections on site were made on the following days:
3 JulyFive NII inspectors, including HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations visited HM Naval Base during this quarter spending a total of three days on the base.
MoD activities, at HM Naval Base and Devonport Royal Dockyard, are inspected under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974), the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001, (REPPIR), and the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999.
No specific inspections relating to this topic were carried out during the period.
The Ministry of Defence annual demonstration emergency exercise was witnessed on 3 July 2003. The MoD was considered to have adequately demonstrated its arrangements for handling a nuclear emergency.
None during the quarter.
None during the quarter.
No formal enforcement activities were carried out by HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate during the period covered by this report.
Published on the HSE web site 20 January 2003