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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 Trawsfynydd Site Stakeholder Group (SSG) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at Trawsfynydd.  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 normally attend SSG meetings and will be happy to respond to any questions raised there or subsequently by members of the SSG. 

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Inspections

The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) Site Inspector made inspections on the following dates during the quarter:

• 8-11 March 2010

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Routine matters

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

1. the conditions attached by HSE/NII to the nuclear site licence;
2. the Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HSWA) 1974 and
3. 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 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. In this period routine inspections of Trawsfynydd covered:

• Examination, Maintenance, Inspection and Testing.
• Modifications to plant, equipment and safety cases.

In general the arrangements made and implemented by Trawsfynydd in response to safety requirements were deemed to be adequate in the areas inspected. However, where improvements were considered necessary, satisfactory commitments to address the issues were made by or are being sought from the licensee, and the site inspector will monitor progress during future visits. Where necessary, formal regulatory enforcement action will be taken to ensure that appropriate remedial measures are implemented to reasonably practicable timescales.

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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. There were no items of particular note during the reporting period.

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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 requires some form of action to be taken; these are collectively termed Licence Instruments (LI). In addition inspectors may issue enforcement notices to secure improvements to safety.

Three LI were issued to the licensee during the quarter:

• LI 516 - 31 March 2010 - Approval of revised terms of reference for the site’s Nuclear Safety Committee.
• LI 517 - 31 March 2010 - Approval of arrangements for the consideration of urgent safety proposals by the Nuclear Safety Committee
• LI 518 - 23 March 2010 - Agreement to the South Fuel Element Debris Retrieval and Processing Facility entering into routine operational service

No enforcement notices were issued during the reporting period:

Formation of the Office for Nuclear Regulation - An ipdate

Given the proximity to a general election, Ministers have decided not to lay the Legislation (known as The LRO), required to establish the Office for Nuclear Regulation, in this Parliamentary session.  This decision has been made to ensure that full and effective parliamentary scrutiny can take place.

Government has recently published for information the legislative documents and the results of the consultation undertaken by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Energy and Climate Change in Summer 2009.  The consultation showed broad support from a wide range of organisations.

• Regulatory reform

The Transition Programme (the work to establish the new organisation) is largely complete and will be placed ‘on hold’ until the point at which the LRO is approved.

The planning assumption for vesting date of the new organisation remains 1 April 2011 subject to the LRO passing through the parliamentary process.

The next steps and revised timetable relating to the LRO will in due course be further developed.
In the meantime the work to transform ND into the world leading nuclear regulator fit for future challenges, that we aspire to be, continues with the same drive and determination. 

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