Magnox South Ltd - Bradwell site report - Q4 2010

Local liaison committee quarterly report for October to December 2010

Summary
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 Bradwell Site Local Community Liaison Council (LCLC) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Bradwell. These reports are distributed quarterly and are also available on the HSE’s website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/llc/index.htm. Site inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate usually attend LCLC meetings and will respond to questions raised there by members of the LCLC.

Inspections

NII site inspections took place this quarter during:

26 to 28 October 2010
7 December 2010.

Routine matters

Inspections at Site: Inspections are undertaken at site as part of the process for monitoring compliance with:

the conditions attached by HSE/NII to the nuclear site licence;
the Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HSWA) 1974 and
regulations made under the HSWA for example the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

This entails monitoring the licensee’s actions on the site in relation to incidents, operations, maintenance, projects, modifications, safety case changes and any other matters which may affect safety. The licensee is required to make and implement adequate arrangements under the conditions attached to the licence in order to ensure legal compliance. Inspections seek to judge both the adequacy of these arrangements and their implementation.

NII inspections at Bradwell this quarter covered:

Licence Condition (LC) 22 Modifications
LC26 Control and Supervision
LC28 Maintenance
LC32 Accumulation of Radioactive Waste
LC35 Decommissioning

In particular, an offsite meeting took place between a team of NII inspectors and a number of technical staff from Bradwell to discuss sites plans and safety submissions for entry into care and maintenance. The control and supervision of decommissioning work in the ponds was inspected. The site’s preparations for placing radioactive waste into a new type of container were inspected, and further information was requested to demonstrate the reversibility of this process, should Magnox be unable to demonstrate the disposability of this waste package. Revised arrangements for categorising the plant maintenance schedule were examined and found to be adequate.

Non-routine matters

Licensees are required to have arrangements to respond to non-routine matters and events. NII inspectors judge the adequacy of the licensee’s response including actions taken to implement any necessary improvements.

During the current period Dr S Nicholson has replaced Mr I Bretherton as the NII site inspector for Bradwell.

Regulatory activity

Under health and safety legislation NII site inspectors, and other HSE inspectors, may issue formal documents to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Under nuclear site licence conditions HSE/NII issues regulatory documents, which either permission an activity or require some form of action to be taken; these are collectively termed licence instruments (LIs). In addition inspectors may issue enforcement notices to secure improvements to safety.

Licence instruments issued this quarter:

93/500 Approval of the nuclear safety committee terms of reference
87/508 Specification of revised maintenance schedule preface
87/509 Approval of revised maintenance schedule preface.

No enforcement notices were issued during the quarter.

Transforming HSE Nuclear Directorate

HSE’s Nuclear Directorate (ND) continues work on a programme of change entitled 'Transformation' which is intended to help ND realise its aims to become recognised as a world-class regulator. Over the coming months, ND’s focus will include improving the way it engages with all of its stakeholders, including communities around nuclear licensed sites, to explain the work that it does and the regulatory decisions it makes.

ND will keep stakeholders fully informed of changes and any decisions that are made through channels including:

The HSE Nuclear eBulletin (visit www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/ebulletin to subscribe);
Site stakeholder group and local liaison committee reports;
ND's newly re-launched website (www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear).

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions regarding ND’s Transformation programme, please get in touch by emailing ONRenquiries@hse.gsi.gov.uk.