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 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 two inspection visits to Berkeley Nuclear Licensed site during the period July to September 2004. The visits were on:
17 to 20 August 14 to 17 September
2. On 17 to 20 August, the Site Inspector was accompanied by the incoming Site Inspector. The new Site Inspector will assume inspection responsibilities from 1 October.
3. Routine inspection has continued although a higher proportion of the Inspector's time has been devoted to site projects and reactive work. Matters arising from the inspections have been identified directly to the appropriate members of staff and to the site manager for action to be taken. The Inspectorate's objective has been to engage the site on its decommissioning activities while ensuring safety matters continue to be addressed.
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 in the quarter have included; Licence Condition 35 - giving advice to the site on appropriate arrangements for future decommissioning activities and Licence Condition 36.
5. The interface with the site on Licence condition 36 has related to reorganisation of the site management structure on site as well as the site aspects of the corporate management of change proposals. The Inspectors main priorities for the rest of 2004/2005 and possibly into next year are the Life Cycle Base Line/Near Term Work Plans and BNFL restructuring. As a result fewer compliance inspections will be undertaken.
6. The Site's response to the team inspection has been followed up. While most proposed actions had been appropriately completed, it was disappointing that some remained outstanding. Those outstanding actions have been identified in a letter to site and will be followed up by the inspectorate.
7. Discussions have continued with site management related to Phase 2 of the site management structure changes on the Berkeley site. The changes to the emergency response on site with greater reliance on the Gloucester Fire and Ambulance Teams have not been implemented. NII has required the site to demonstrate the new arrangements in an emergency exercise before approval is given to those arrangements. The site has not yet given NII a date for that demonstration exercise. 8. BNFL has proposed further changes to its structure that will affect the management of the Berkeley Site and require it to be relicensed to Magnox Electric plc. At the Berkeley Site, the proposals include a reduction of corporate presence on the site. The change consequences for this proposal are being handled by Nil on a corporate basis. The Site Inspector is following through site specific matters.
9. The site has requested and has been granted Nil agreement to proceed with the decommissioning of the Power Station Debris Vaults. The request for agreement is against a safety submission modifying the initial vault emptying proposals submitted a number of years ago.
10. The site has indicated that it may wish to delicence part of the Nuclear Licensed Site. Nil assessors have held discussions with the site to aid site understanding of the conditions that will have to be met in delicencing.
11. The Inspectorate has been interfacing with site Managers on the regulatory impact of the forthcoming Life Cycle Base Line submissions to the NDA. While the discussions have aided clarity, it is difficult to identify from the draft document how assumptions made may impinge on the regulatory process. The site has agreed to clarify this matter.
12. The site has indicated that it may wish to revise its Operating Rules to more clearly reflect the current decommissioning status of the site. Nil has had preliminary discussions on the safety justification for these changes and awaits the site submission of relevant documentation.
13. There have been a number of incidents on site; these are regarded as minor in respect of nuclear safety.
14. The site new fire certificate was issued to site.
15 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.
16 Two General Site License Instruments were issued in the period.
NUMBER G9 - AGREEMENT GIVEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARRANGEMENTS MADE UNDER LICENCE CONDITION 36(1): CONTROL OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE - FORMATION OF BRITISH NUCLEAR GROUP REACTOR SITES
NUMBER G10 - AGREEMENT GIVEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARRANGEMENTS MADE UNDER LICENCE CONDITION 36(1): CONTROL OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE - CREATION OF BRITISH NUCLEAR GROUP PROJECT SERVICES
Published on the HSE web site 01 February 2005
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