Berkeley nuclear licensed site report - Q1 2009

Quarterly report for 1 January to 31 March 2009

Inspections
Routine matters
Non-routine matters
Regulatory activities

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 Berkeley Site's Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Berkeley Site. These reports are distributed quarterly and are also available on the HSE's website. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate attend SSG meetings and will respond to questions raised there by members of the SSG.

Changes to HSE's Nuclear Directorate

In early 2008 the Government initiated a review into the UK's nuclear safety regulatory regime, led by Dr Tim Stone. The recommendations and the UK's Government response were published at the end of January 2009. One of the major recommendations is the decision by Government to establish the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Nuclear Directorate (ND) as a Statutory Corporation under the auspices of the HSE.

The creation of this new, autonomous body, (which will continue to incorporate the Office for Civil Nuclear Security and the UK Safeguards Office) will facilitate a more sustainable approach to regulating nuclear safety and security within a rapidly changing global nuclear environment and recruitment of high calibre of staff within a hardening market place for highly specialised skills.

The restructuring will not change the substance or standards of regulation or compromise the independence of the nuclear regulatory body, and will not affect the decisions it takes or the international obligations the Government requires it to meet.

Enabling work continues for the initial scoping and planning of the work-streams and programmes necessary for the Statutory Corporation to come into being from April 2010. This project has required the temporary enhancement of ND's senior management capability in order to deliver existing regulatory work and to create the Statutory Corporation.

Inspections

1. No visits were made to Berkeley Site for routine inspections or meetings this quarter.

Routine matters

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. There were no compliance inspections this quarter.

Non-routine matters

4. Licence Condition 36 attached to Berkeley Site's Nuclear Licence requires the Licensee to have adequate arrangements to control organisational change. Magnox South Ltd are proposing a significant reduction in staffing levels at Berkeley Site. This is justified in a management of change document (MoC 70). NII have specified that MoC 70 is submitted to NII for scrutiny and not implemented without the agreement of NII.

Regulatory activities

5. Licence Instruments - As part of its regulation under nuclear site licences, NII issues regulatory documents, collectively termed Licence Instruments. One Instrument was issued this quarter.

Specification, Licence Instrument Number 505. Specification under arrangements made under Licence Condition 36 to submit for agreement Management of Change MoC 70 at Berkeley Site. 5th March 2009.

6. 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.