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.
A total of 16 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 and explosives inspectors.
Annual Safety Review Meeting: The meeting for 2003 was well supported by AWE plc, all operational 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: generic safety case improvements; design standards; analysis of the system for controlling movement of fissile material in facilities; the Integrated Criticality Programme; compliance with Licence Instruments issued on waste conditioning and disposal; future facilities at Burghfield; the disassembly of Trident warheads.
5. Strategic plan: AWE plc's managing director and a team of his directors gave a useful presentation on the Company Strategic Plan to inspectors from the HSE and the Environment Agency.
6. Fire: A meeting was held at HSE's Newcastle office at which AWE plc, NII, and HSE's Fire Surveyor reviewed the licensee's extensive work on the improvement of fire precautions, and HSE's regulation of it. NII believes that much has been achieved in this field, and it was unfortunate that the meeting was partly a response to HSE's Fire Surveyor having just resigned. The licensee's work will continue, though there will inevitably be an interruption to HSE's usual regulatory role.
Annual Emergency Exercise: This year's demonstration emergency exercise simulated an explosion in a research facility. We noted some improvements in areas that were criticized in previous demonstration emergency exercises, and many parts of the accident response worked well. Some important parts did not, however. NII therefore judged the exercise not to be a satisfactory demonstration of part of the licensee's arrangements for dealing with any accident or emergency arising on the site and its effects. Accordingly, the licensee has been making improvements both to emergency facilities and arrangements, and a further demonstration exercise, in the same location, has been fixed for February 2004.
8. Waste Treatment Plant: This plant will treat low-active liquid effluents, and so take the place of the discharge route through the Pangbourne pipeline. NII has assessed the Pre-Construction Safety Report for the plant and is preparing to agree to the start of construction.
9. Public Letters: During the period, NII received and replied to three letters from a member of the public who said that he had concerns about the integrity of supports for pipework, cables and the like that were installed in a major production facility more than 10 years ago. Our inspection of the supports revealed them to be robust, and showing no sign of degradation.
10. Beryllium: Discussions were held with the licensee on its arrangements for the control of exposure to beryllium.
11. This year's demonstration emergency exercise simulated an explosion in the assembly area. A key feature was the support by local authority services. Two notionally contaminated casualties were treated successfully at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. A search and rescue in the 'damaged' building was carried out by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. As usual, a number of lessons were learnt for future improvements. NII judged the exercise to be a satisfactory demonstration of part of the licensee's arrangements for dealing with any accident or emergency arising on the site and its effects.
12. As part of its regulation under the nuclear site licences NII issues formal regulatory documents, which include Consents, Approvals, Directions, and Licence Instruments 1. At Burghfield LI No 8 was issued, agreeing to a continuation of the modified process for the disassembly of Trident warheads.
13. HSE regulates both sites under the Fire Certificates (Special Premises) Regulations 1976. Following a number of planned inspections a further notice, for a facility at Aldermaston, was issued under regulation 8, requiring steps to be taken to improve fire precautions and so allow a new fire certificate to be issued.
14. No other issues have arisen that have required formal regulatory action.
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 22 December 2003