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HM NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS INSPECTORATE

HM NAVAL BASE CLYDE

LOCAL LIAISON COMMITTEE REPORTS QUARTERLY REPORT for I July to 30 September 2003

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

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 Clyde Local Liaison Committee and covers activities associated with the regulation of nuclear safety at HM Naval Base Clyde. These reports are distributed quarterly.

Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate normally attend LLC meetings and will be happy to respond to 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.

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1. INTRODUCTION

Visits are made to the Base for the purpose of undertaking routine plant and project inspections or meeting site management or safety representatives. NII inspectors visited Faslane and Coulport during the quarter as follows:

7- 10 July
18 - 21 August
1 - 2; and 22 - 25 September

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2. ROUTINE MATTERS

NII's normal method of business is to inspect HMN Base Clyde in accordance with a planned inspection programme and to discuss any matters arising with site staff. Inspections are undertaken for the purpose of monitoring compliance with the relevant provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (1974) including the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (IRRs), and the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR) at the two sites.

Meetings are also held routinely to discuss matters that affect the continued safe operation of the base. Discussions are also held with the Ministry of Defence Regulator, on matters of mutual interest.

In this period, the following matters in particular have been addressed:

  1. Attendance at the planning meetings for exercise Short Sermon 03. NII have received a copy of the Argyll & Bute Off Site Contingency Plan for HMN Base Clyde.
  2. The control and supervision of work at Faslane for the Effluent Treatment facility, and for the Northern Jetties. The training requirements and records of staff involved in these activities were sampled. This inspection was in co-operation with staff from the MoD internal regulatory panel. The standards were assessed to be satisfactory.
  3. The compliance arrangements for regulations 5 and 6 of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999, no significant issues were found.
  4. The handling and processing arrangements, and records, of both liquid and solid radioactive waste were inspected. It was found that the controls exercised were satisfactory and no significant issues were raised.
  5. An exercise of the emergency arrangements was observed at RNAD Coulport on the 3 September.

The studies currently being undertaken on ways of reducing radiation doses to workers from the cleaning of submarine reactor compartments following maintenance work, are continuing.

In general the inspections indicated that the site are satisfactorily managing and controlling the activities, and no significant issues were identified.

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4. NON-ROUTINE MATTERS

The good liaison between the Base staff and the Council officers on the provision of the Off Site emergency arrangements to meet the REPPIR, has resulted in a plan which seems comprehensive. The test of these arrangements will take place at the Short Sermon demonstration in November.

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5. REGULATORY ACTIVITY

The Inspectorate has taken no formal enforcement action on the Base during this period.

Published on the HSE web site 4 December 2003