Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Nuclear
LLC reports
Inspections
Routine
Matters
Non Routine Matters
Regulatory Activity
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 Berkeley Power Station and Centre Local Community Liaison Committee, LCLC, and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Berkeley Power Station and Centre. These reports are distributed quarterly. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attend LCLC meetings and will be happy to respond to questions raised there by members of the LCLC. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE, Nuclear Directorate Information Centre on 0151 - 951 - 4103.
1 The Site Inspector made six inspection visits to Berkeley Nuclear Licensed site during the period July to September 2003. The visits were on:
1 to 4 July
14 to 18 July
1 to 4 September
19 September
22 September
29 to 30 September
2 During the visit 14 to 18 July the Site Inspector was accompanied by a Specialist Fire Inspector and on 3 July by a Specialist Health Physics Inspector. During the demonstration emergency exercise on 2 July, four inspectors including the Site Inspector monitored site performance.
3 Routine inspection has continued. Matters arising from the general inspections have been identified directly to the appropriate members of staff and to the site manager for action to be taken. It has been an inspectorate objective to ensure that the new Site Manager is aware of the issues raised with his predecessor.
4 Inspections this quarter have been conducted against a site licence inspection schedule designed to cover all aspects of site licence compliance over a three year period. Inspections are targeted on a whole site basis or against areas of site or specific projects or themes. Inspections in the quarter have included Licence Conditions 9 (instructions to persons), 10 (training), 12(duly authorised and other suitably qualified and experienced persons), 25 (operational records), 26 (control and supervision of operations), and 34 (leakage and escape of radioactive materials and radioactive waste).
5 The inspections have found that there is compliance with site licence conditions although the systems in place are do not allow compliance to be demonstrated with ease. While responsibilities within the management chain are not easily determined, working level responses to the requirements of site licence compliance are generally acceptable. Once full integration of the site systems has been achieved, the position is likely to improve (see Para 7)
6 As reported previously reported the site management structure was changed at the start of April. The last report indicated some deficiencies in the implementation of that change. In the last period, the site manager has changed and the NII is satisfied that the arrangements put in place to ensure he was trained as suitably qualified as Agent of the Licensee were adequate. The site has conducted a review of the process of managing staff changes that has addressed NII's concerns.
7 Berkeley Centre and Berkeley Power Station management structures have been integrated. Prior to integration two separate sets of management arrangements/procedures were issued to comply with the site licence and other legal requirements. Key documents were combined and issued to coincide with the integration of the site in December 2002. Progress on the combination of the other documents that had been reported in the last LCLC report as slower than anticipated has been accelerated. The progress of the issue will be tested by a team inspection in December 2003.
8 A level 1 and a level 2 site emergency exercise were satisfactorily completed in July and September.
9 There have been a number of incidents on site; these are regarded as minor in respect of nuclear safety.
10 The HSE Fire Surveyor visited the site during July 2003 to confirm completion of identified fire improvement work. A number of points were identified for improvement and those that could affect the issue of a site fire certificate have been rectified. HSE is continuing to process the preparing and issuing of a new fire certificate.
11 A Specialist Health Physics Inspector visited site to check compliance with IRRs and sealed source regulations. Some issues were raised and the site has initiated corrective action.
12 The Inspectorate has power under the Licence to issue Consents, Approvals and Directions. In addition the Inspectorate uses Licence Instruments to issue Specifications and Agreements under the conditions attached to the Licence.
13 One Approval, number 7 under Licence Condition 11(2) was issued. This approval related to a minor change in the site on-site emergency plan to align actions at the reactor site with those on the centre site.
Published on the HSE web site 17 November 2003