Research Sites Restoration Limited (RSRL) Harwell site report - Q1 2009

Harwell Chilton campus local stakeholder group quarterly report for 1 January - 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 Harwell Chilton Campus Local Stakeholder Group (LSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at the RSRL Harwell licensed site, which was relicensed from UKAEA during the period. These reports are distributed quarterly. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) normally attend LSG meetings and will be happy to respond to questions raised there by members of the LSG.

Inspections

NII's regulatory work over this period concentrated on the relicensing of the Harwell and Winfrith sites from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to Research Sites Restoration Ltd (RSRL) with effect from 2 February 2009.

Due to reorganisation within NII a new Site Inspector has been appointed to inspect RSRL's Harwell and Winfrith sites.

The new NII Site Inspector visited the Harwell site on the following dates

11 March 2009
30 March 2009

He was accompanied on these occasions by NII's Superintending Inspector with responsibility for overseeing site inspection at Harwell, Winfrith and a number of other nuclear licensed sites.

Further interactions with the Licensee were progressed by videoconference.

Routine matters

Annual Review of Safety

RSRL's annual review of safety and environment was held on 30 March 2009. RSRL showed that they were maintaining current safety standards on their sites when compared to previous years as well as actively reducing hazards through their programme of decommissioning. RSRL's safety performance was considered acceptable, with improvements having been achieved in a number of areas. In some cases this was partly attributable to a reduction in the scope of decommissioning work carried out when compared with recent years. The opportunity was taken to look ahead to issues of regulatory interest in the coming year.

Licence Compliance

The NII regulates nuclear safety by attaching Licence Conditions (LCs) to the nuclear site licence. NII assessed the adequacy of the Licensees' arrangements under various LCs as part of the relicensing process. Further details are discussed below.

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Non-routine matters

Site Relicensing

NII's regulatory work over this period concentrated on the project to relicence the Harwell and Winfrith sites to RSRL, in the course of which the Licensee improved their arrangements for compliance with a number of LCs. Areas of regulatory interest including management of organisational change, decommissioning, emergency arrangements, marking of the site boundary and aspects relating to plant/process control, including maintenance and engineering capability. The licensee's arrangements were considered adequate at the time of relicensing. These topics will be included in the Site Inspector's programmes for compliance inspection and planned interventions over the next 12 months.

NII's Decommissioning Regulatory Strategy

NII is reviewing its strategy for the regulation of decommissioning under LC 35. Details of the impact at the RSRL's Winfrith and Harwell sites are available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/winharlc35enf.htm

Approval of Site Arrangements

In the course of the relicensing process NII issued Licence Instruments to specify or approve some of the Licensee's arrangements as detailed below.

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Regulatory activity

NII has powers under Nuclear Site Licence Number 84 to issue Consents, Approvals and Directions. In addition, NII can issue Notifications, Specifications, Acknowledgements and Agreements under the conditions attached to the Licence, or under arrangements made by RSRL for complying with those conditions. These are known as Licence Instruments. The following Licence Instruments were issued to RSRL Harwell during the period:

Licence Instrument No. 500 was issued on 22 January 2009 approving the terms of reference of the RSRL Nuclear Safety Committee.

Licence Instrument No. 501 was issued on 22 January 2009 specifying that RSRL submits to HSE the relevant part of their emergency arrangements (the Harwell Site Emergency Plan) for approval.

Licence Instrument No. 502 was issued on 30 January 2009, approving the Nuclear Safety Committee's arrangements for obtaining advice on urgent safety proposals.

Licence Instrument No. 503 was issued on 30 January 2009, approving the Harwell Site Emergency Plan.

Some Licence Instruments including Consents issued under LC3 (Restriction on Dealing with the Site) were carried over from the previous Licence.