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 Dungeness Local Community Liaison Council and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly and are available on the HSE web site. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (part of the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate) attend LCLC meetings and will be happy to respond to any questions raised there by members of the LCLC. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE's Nuclear Directorate Information Centre on 0151 951 4103.
The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Site Inspector visited Dungeness 'B' on the following dates during the quarter covered by this report:
15 to 18 April,
7 to 9 May
13 to 16 May
17 to 20 June.
The Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations visited Dungeness 'B' on 8 May. Other NII inspectors with specialist technical expertise also visited site during the period so as to support the Site Inspector by performing inspections of the nuclear safety case, fire safety, emergency arrangements and assisting with an investigation into an incident.
During the visits listed above the Site Inspector carried out planned inspections of the licensee's compliance with:
(i) the conditions attached to the Site Licence;A team of NII inspectors supported the Site Inspector when witnessing a Level 1 Emergency Exercise on 15 May 2002. The exercise was judged by NII to provide an adequate demonstration that the site's emergency arrangements could cope with a major event.
The Site Inspector attended the 45th LCLC meeting on 19 June 2002. BEGL offered to facilitate a public meeting on local beach issues that would be led by the Environment Agency.
The HSE Fire Surveyor visited site on 16 May 2002. He raised a number of matters that required improvements. He will return to site so as to carry out further inspection later this year.
As part of routine, planned inspections the Site Inspector examined the licensee's arrangements for the recording and investigation of incidents at the power station and, where appropriate, undertook independent investigations to the extent that was warranted by the significance of the incident.
The power station experienced a number of events during this quarter, which have been rated at Level 1, variation from permitted procedures (anomaly), on the International Nuclear Event Scale. These have all been investigated. One of them related to further problems with the water spray fire system. As a result of this three other NII inspectors visited site in late June 2002 and statements were taken. The NII investigation continues.
The Site Inspector and the local Environment Agency Inspector carried out a joint inspection at the site on 18 April 2002. As a result of this BEGL promised that they would reduce the time it takes to repair discharge stack monitoring equipment faults.
Mr L Williams, NII Chief Inspector and HSE Board Member, visited site on 8 May as part of a rolling programme of visits to all the major nuclear licensed sites. The station gave Mr Williams a presentation on the issues affecting Dungeness B and a tour of the site. He met a large number of people while on site. Mr Williams offered encouragement with regard to the current BEGL program of material condition improvements and he said that he intended to return to the site early next year.
The NII has powers within the standard Nuclear Site Licence Conditions to issue Consents, Approvals and Directions. In addition NII uses Licence Instruments to issue Specifications and Agreements under the conditions attached to the Licence. In accordance with formal regulatory procedures under Site Licence No. 61 the NII issued the following:
Approval No 10 was issued for a new preface to a new issue of the Maintenance Schedule.
Licence Instrument No 49 agreed to the extension of certain maintenance intervals as specified in the new issue of the Maintenance Schedule.
Published on the HSE web site 9 September 2002