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. These reports are distributed quarterly and are available also from the Internet at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/index.htm. 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 on 0151-951-3484/3290 .
A total of 21 NII inspectors visited the Aldermaston and Burghfield sites during the quarter. The Deputy Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations responsible for the regulation of Defence Related Sites visited the AWE Burghfield nuclear licensed site on 28 September 2006, and there were visits from other HSE inspectors in relation to conventional safety, and explosives.
NII inspections were made on the following dates:
July 3, 4, 5, 6,10,11, 12, 13, 14, 25 and 26
August
2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 30
September
4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 and 29
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:
The Deputy Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations responsible for Defence Related Sites undertook a visit to the AWE Burghfield nuclear licensed site on 28 September 2008. He had presentations and tours of the operational areas.
The PRS for VIPER was scheduled to complete AWE’s due process in August 2006 and be submitted to NII for assessment. This date was not achieved and AWE has now indicated that it will supply this document in October 2006.
NII continues to undertake assessment work in support of an AWE submission on contained hydrodynamic trials. Additional work undertaken by AWE on the facility and equipment has delayed the request by AWE for the Licence Instrument to resume these trials.
Technical discussions are underway as part of NII’s “early engagement” process with AWE in relation to the safety submissions which will be sent to NII during the next quarter.
The second phase of documentation in support of the PRS for Burghfield cleared AWE’s due process in September and will be examined by NII in the near future. This will inform the discussions underway over the timing and scope of work packages which will be put in place to support continued operation.
NII is keen to see early completion of the new Assembly/Disassembly Facility and is in discussion with AWE and MoD to finalise the programme.
An agreement to the limited ongoing use of the current process for weapons disassembly has been given by NII.
On 5 September 2006 two NII inspectors witnessed a training exercise for the use of modified facilities to support the Burghfield emergency arrangements. This demonstration was considered adequate and AWE will formally demonstrate the revised arrangements at the emergency exercise planned for October.
1.
Licence Instruments are issued to acknowledge receipt of specified documents, e.g. 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.