Dounreay Site Restoration Limited

Quarterly report for 1 January to 31 March 2009

Inspections
Routine matters
Non routine matters
Regulatory activity

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 Dounreay Site Stakeholder Group (DSSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Dounreay. 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 Dounreay SSG meetings and will respond to questions raised there by members of the Dounreay SSG.

Inspections

NII Site Inspectors and Specialist Inspectors visited Dounreay on the following dates:-

19th - 21 January
12th - 16 January
2nd - 6 February
23rd - 26 February
30th - 31 March

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Routine matters

Site inspection activities

Compliance inspections were undertaken against Licence Conditions 10 Training, 24 Operating Instructions, 27 Safety Mechanisms Devices and Circuits and 28 Examination, Inspection, Maintenance and Testing. No major issues were identified.

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Non routine matters

Contaminated Land Strategy

Proposals for a revision to the Dounreay contaminated land strategy were discussed with DSRL. The strategy sets down the proposals for the strategy for the characterisation, remediation and restoration of contaminated land on the Dounreay site. Whilst NII raised a number of points of detail there was broad agreement with the revised strategy.

Radioactive Liquor Transfer

We reported in the 4th Quarter 2008 report that we gave our agreement to DSRL for the transfer of liquid waste from D1234 to D1208 (Licence Instrument Number 505).

The transfer was completed during this reporting period and was closely monitored by NII. The transfer of this waste to D1208 will allow the decommissioning of D1234 and associated facilities to commence.

NaK Disposal

We reported in the third quarter report that the NaK Disposal Plant was closed down following leaks of active liquor. DSRL instigated an improvement programme. During February 2009 SEPA and ourselves assessed the safety documentation prepared by DSRL and inspected the improvements made to the plant. After the inspection we agreed that adequate improvements had been made and the active commissioning programme could resume. We continue to monitor commissioning progress.

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.

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Regulatory activity

The Inspectorate has powers under the Licence to issue Consents, Approvals and Directions. In addition, the Inspectorate uses Licence Instruments to issue Specifications, Acknowledgements, and Agreements under either the conditions attached to the Licence, or arrangements made by DSRL for complying with those conditions.

No Licence Instruments were issued during the period of this report.