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 Amersham plc, Grove Centre Local Liaison Committee (LLC) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at the site. These reports are distributed quarterly. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attend LLC meetings and will be happy to respond to questions raised there 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.
Visits by the NII to the Grove Centre site were made on 21 - 23 October, 12 - 13 November and 2 December 2003.
Routine compliance inspection of plant was carried out to the inspection plan and the site inspector has inspected parts of the site. Particular attention has been paid to the compliance by the licensee with Licence Conditions 32 (Accumulation of Radioactive Waste) and 36 (Control of Organisational Change). The fundamental requirements needed for compliance with both Licence Conditions was noted. The inspection against Licence Condition 32 was carried out jointly with the Environment Agency inspector.
The annual regulatory review of safety meeting was held during the period. The meeting was attended by the Superintending Inspector and Site Inspector and senior managers from Amersham nuclear licensed sites. The meeting is the forum at which the licensee reports to the regulator on progress on safety matters. It also provides an opportunity for discussing the licensee's future activities and programmes and also gives NII the opportunity to raise important safety matters and promote improvements in the licensee's safety performance. For the Grove Centre site the NII emphasised the following,
The Nuclear Safety Committee is a senior safety committee that operates on the site to which Amersham can refer important safety matters for consideration and advice. Amersham has revised the Terms of Reference of the Nuclear Safety Committee and produced arrangements for the consideration of urgent safety proposals. Under the requirements of Licence Condition 13 (Nuclear Safety Committee) NII has to approve such revisions and additions and two Approvals covering the changes were issued in November (see paragraph 4 below).
In October Amersham plc announced that General Electric of America had made an offer to take over the Company. The offer is subject to approval by competition authorities and is expected to close in 2004. The potential for the need to relicence Amersham's sites is currently being considered by NII in conjunction with HSE solicitors and Environment Agency.
No statutory reportable radiological incidents have been notified to the NII this quarter.
Approval No: was issued on 14 November 2003 in accordance with Licence Condition 13(3). This Approval was in respect of changes made to the Terms of Reference of the Nuclear Safety Committee.
Approval No: was issued on 14 November 2003 in accordance with Licence Condition 13(11). This Approval was in respect of providing arrangements for the consideration of, or advice on, urgent safety proposals.
Published on the HSE web site 14 April 2004