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 Dungeness Power Stations’ Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Dungeness A Nuclear Power Station. These reports are distributed quarterly and are also available on the HSE’s web site at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/llc/index.htm . Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attend SSG meetings and will respond to questions raised there by members of the SSG. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE’s Nuclear Directorate on 0151-951-3484.
Nuclear Directorate
Health and Safety Executive
Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
Merseyside
L20 7HS
1. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Site Inspector visited Dungeness A during the quarter. Inspections were made on the following days: -
2. Compliance Inspections: Routine 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.
3. In this period routine inspections covered:
4. NDA's competition strategy called for Magnox Electric Limited to be split into two Site Licence Companies: Magnox North Limited and Magnox South Limited. This split took place on 1 October 2008, when Magnox North Limited became the nuclear site licence holder for Chapelcross, Hunterston A, Oldbury, Trawsfynydd and Wylfa and Magnox South Limited became the nuclear site licence holder for Berkeley, Bradwell, Dungeness A, Hinkley Point A and Sizewell A.
5. To achieve this split HSE has been working closely with Magnox Electric Limited, NDA, other Government Departments and other regulators (particularly EA and SEPA) for over two years. The project has delivered improvements in a number of areas.
6. One of these improvements is that each site, including Dungeness A, has had to develop new arrangements to control its decommissioning programme. These give HSE greater regulatory control over changes to the programme where they have a significant impact on hazard reduction on site. For the most significant proposed programme changes the site will have to send a formal submission to NII providing a full safety justification for the proposed change and then will not be able to alter the programme until HSE has provided a formal permission.
7. Lydd Airport: The legal obligation for ensuring that the UK’s licensed nuclear installations are managed and maintained to adequate levels of safety lies with the licensees (British Energy and Magnox South). HSE (NII) as the nuclear regulator acts as an independent body with relevant enforcement powers to ensure that licensees fulfil their legal obligations with regard to nuclear safety. HSE (NII) is also a consultee for developments of a particular type within defined distances of licensed nuclear installations. Under these arrangements, HSE (NII) is obliged to provide the local authority with advice on the acceptability or otherwise of proposed developments. NII have received a large number of letters (in excess of 200) from local residents expressing concern at the decision by HSE(NII) not to object to the proposed future developments at Lydd. A response to those letters has been prepared and is being issued to all correspondents.
8. As part of its regulation under nuclear site licences, NII issues regulatory documents, collectively termed Licence Instruments. The following instruments were issued this quarter.
9. Under Health and Safety legislation the Site Inspector, or other HSE Inspectors, may issue formal notices to secure improvements to safety. No such notices were issued during the reporting period.