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 Chapelcross Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Chapelcross Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate normally attend SSG meetings and will be happy to respond to any questions raised there or subsequently by members of the SSG. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE, Nuclear Directorate Information Centre on 0151-951-4103.
This report will be put onto the HSE Website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/index.htm under ‘Local Liaison Committee Reports’.
Nuclear Directorate
Health and Safety Executive
St. Peter's House
Bootle
Merseyside
L20 3LZ
The HMNII Site Inspector made the following planned visits during the period:
1 July; 25-29 July; 14-15 September; 19-23 September.
Other HMNII Inspectors visited the site during the quarter to: discuss the implementation of the Post Operation Safety Case (POSC); witness the POSC Demonstration Emergency Exercise; examine the storage of dose records; discuss conventional safety matters.
Routine inspections continued throughout the period to check compliance with the conditions attached to the Nuclear Site Licence.
Improvements continued to be made on the arrangements for identifying conditions and limits necessary in the interests of safety (Operating Rules).
The arrangements associated with justifying changes to the site organisation were reinforced and a revised baseline document, justifying the present site organistional structure, was provided to the Inspectorate.
Progress was made in removing radioactive waste that has accumulated on the site, and in the provision of a radioactive waste processing facility. An enhanced programme was also provided to the Inspectorate that covers the provision of fire detection and suppression systems for the bulk storage of trace contaminated waste oil, and the final disposal of the oil.
Improvements in the arrangements for testing safety interlocks associated with the fuel ponds were put in place.
The management and recording of events that occurred on the station during the period were inspected. Most of the events were relatively minor however several events were followed up in more detail with appropriate Magnox Electric limited (MEL) staff.
Some flask contamination events resulted in an embargo on sending fuel flasks to Sellafield. Investigations by MEL revealed the cause and, once remedial measures were put in place, the embargo was lifted.
Aircraft overflying was still occurring and our Nuclear Policy Unit is pursuing this matter with the CAA, MOD and other authorities.
During a documentation review MEL identified that a heat exchanger on reactor 2 could not be claimed for use. MEL subsequently removed the heat exchanger from service. A new plant configuration control system, that is planned to be in place during the next quarter, should help to reduce the likelihood of such incidents.
On 21/9/05 a meeting was held with the Site Safety Representatives and others to discuss conventional safety. Good working practices, and working practices that require improvement, that had come to our attention during inspections at nuclear sites were considered. Working at height and workplace transport, which form key parts of the HSE’s strategy for injury reduction, were covered in some detail. The meeting was followed up by an inspection of actual working practices across the site.
No Level 1 Exercises were held.
Modification work began on the upgrading of the fuel route discharges machines, and our assessment work on related matters continued. The upgrade work was on programme at the end of the quarter.
Assessment work by the Inspectorate continued on the POSC throughout the quarter. Further queries have been raised which MEL is addressing.
Most of the operational safety documents that reflect the POSC were provided to the Inspectorate but some, such as the revised Operating Rules and the safety case covering fire as a nuclear hazard, had still to be provided at the end of the quarter. Due to a lack of resource, the target date for the implementation of the POSC was put back five weeks by MEL to early November.
A proposed Emergency Plan, that reflects the reduced hazards and risks of the POSC, was produced and a demonstration of the plan, to a team from the Inspectorate, was undertaken in mid September. The demonstration went well apart from breathing air control where the team judged that the proposed changes had not fully “bedded in”. Further training will be given in this area, which the Inspectorate will observe prior to our Approval of the Plan.
During the quarter the Inspectorate satisfactorily completed the process of considering potential environmental impacts from decommissioning, which has involved extensive public consultation. On 26 September a Consent was therefore granted, under the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment For Decommissioning) Regulations 1999, to permit the decommissioning of the site. The Consent requires MEL to prepare an environmental management plan, which must be submitted to HSE and made available to the public.
The Inspectorate has powers under the Nuclear Site 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 Site Licence.
No formal documents were issued during the quarter.