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 Hunterston B Local Liaison Committee and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Hunterston B Nuclear Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate normally attend LLC meetings and will respond to any questions raised there or subsequently by members of the LLC. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE, Nuclear Directorate Information Centre on 0151 - 951 - 4103.
Hunterston B was visited for site inspections on three occasions during this quarter, the visits having both a routine element and reactive element. The dates were as follows:
22 - 25 January;A significant number of additional inspections involving specialist NII staff were also carried out.
The routine inspections for this quarter, covering a range of aspects of plant operation, maintenance, and management were completed. In addition, where necessary, reactive inspection has been carried out, with the more significant items reported below. In areas where opportunities for improvement were identified, remedial work has been agreed with station management, with the intention of achieving improvements to current station arrangements in those areas.
An ND specialist inspector attended site to attend a joint meeting with SEPA and the station to discuss progress with remedial work following the discovery of activity bearing water in the station boreholes. ND specialist inspectors also attended site to carry out inspections of the station provisions for radiological protection, electrical supplies and radwaste. A specialist inspector and the site inspector investigated an event involving asbestos bearing material. A group of NII specialist inspectors visited the site to review the station proposals for the forthcoming reactor 4 periodic shutdown planned to commence in June 2002. Some of these matters are referred to in greater detail in the following sections of this report.
The following non-routine events were considered during visits to the station and at other meetings:
Following an inspection at the site by specialist staff from NII, HSE agreed to the station introducing EPDs from 1 January 2002, as the principal means of providing the measurement of radiation dose to be included in the statutory record of worker dose uptake.
During work to install additional diesel-generators, it was discovered that refurbishment of small-bore pipe work joint flanges had unwittingly involved removal of asbestos bearing material without adequate worker protection. In addition it transpired that some of the material had been sent off-site without observing requirements relating to disposal route. The station immediately embargoed the work, sealed the building, reported the matter formally to NII and SEPA and carried out an investigation. The local HSE office were informed of the event and the matter was discussed with the site safety representatives. The NII also investigated this event and issued two Improvement Notices, one to BEG(UK)L and the second to Turbine Support Group (BE plc), requiring improvements to the site arrangements for risk assessment. The notices require the remedial measures to be completed before the end of May 2002; the station are working to achieve this. The NII site inspector has also written requiring the station to review the site arrangements for control and supervision of work and workers; regardless of worker affiliation.
The station have carried out a Panel of Inquiry into the discovery, during pre-operational checks, of a relay override which was not within the station administrative controls. The inquiry report has been unable to identify the reason for the override application but identifies action to help prevent a recurrence. These include improvements to the station practices and procedures, and the installation of engineered features to prevent unauthorised access to the affected plant.
The station reported an event to NII where during a single night shift they did not comply with the site requirements for providing minimum manning levels to support identified roles within the emergency arrangements. The circumstances arose because of a worker's sickness that was not recognized in-time to obtain a replacement, and attempts to secure cover using the call-in procedure were not successful. The station investigated this event and have identified measures to help prevent a recurrence.
The station have revised the Site Emergency Plan to incorporate the requirements of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR), and have requested NII Approval of the revised plan. They have also provided a site hazard assessment report and a schedule of emergency exposures, which are also required by the regulations. NII specialist inspectors will be reviewing the documents provided, as part of a consideration of such documents for all licensed nuclear sites.
The station have recorded occasions recently where they have failed to comply with their local rules for airborne activity levels in areas not requiring RPE within the fuel route. The matter was investigated by the site inspector and a letter was sent to the station requiring improvements to be made to the fuel route glove box to help prevent a recurrence. In the interim, the station have required workers to wear appropriate RPE while carrying out work in this area; although no significant contamination of workers has been reported to NII from the events concerned. The station have investigated the matter, and have agreed to make improvements to the equipment.
The site have been informed by NII that an enhanced inspection of station compliance with the arrangements made to address the site licence conditions will be carried out in May 2002. The station are working to improve compliance on the site, and intend that site practices should in all cases correspond to the implemented arrangements for each licence condition. This will be assessed during the enhanced inspection.
Licence Instrument No: 31 agreeing to the proposal to uprate the 3.3 kV essential electrical system diesel generators was issued this quarter.
Improvement Notices requiring improvements to the arrangements for risk assessment were issued to BEG(UK)L and Turbine Support Group (BE plc).
Published on the HSE web site 8 July 2002