Emergency Planning Sub Committee - Six monthly report from March to August 2010

West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group: Sellafield, Calder Hall and Windscale

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 sites available to the public. It is for distribution to members of the Emergency Planning Sub Committee of the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group (WCSSG) and covers activities associated with emergency planning at Sellafield, Calder Hall and Windscale.

These reports are distributed six monthly and will be available on the Internet. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) attend the Emergency Planning Sub Committee of the WCSSG meetings and will be happy to respond to any questions raised there.

1 - Introduction

This is a summary of the areas that have been the focus of regulatory effort over the past six months, and a forward look to those areas where effort will be spent in the future.

2 - Areas covered

2.1 - Sellafield and Windscale Licensed Sites - Merger of Emergency Plans

Currently the Windscale site operates under a separate site licence with separate licence compliance arrangements to the main Sellafield site. In the longer term, Sellafield Ltd (the licensee for both the main Sellafield site and the Windscale site) plans to re-licence the site to fully incorporate the Windscale site. However NII requested Sellafield Ltd to integrate the emergency arrangements on both sites in advance of the planned full integration.

Sellafield Ltd submitted to NII a combined Sellafield & Windscale Emergency Plan for Approval. Since the submission, NII has undertaken a series of discussions with Sellafield Ltd on the proposals to integrate the emergency arrangements on the Windscale site into the main Sellafield site arrangements. NII has also undertaken various discussions with Sellafield Ltd on revisions to the Emergency Handbook and associated documentation which underpin the Plan.
In March NII observed an emergency exercise where the scenario involved an incident on one of the Windscale facilities. NII concentrated on the interactions between Sellafield and Windscale staff, which NII found to be satisfactory.

In July NII issued two Approvals for the combined arrangements (Licence Instrument No 780 for the Sellafield site and Licence Instrument No 520 for the Windscale site).

2.2 - Sellafield Site Sirens

The introduction of eight new siren masts was a welcome improvement, and the new sirens were commissioned in time for the Level 1 Emergency Exercise in May.

2.3 - Level 1 Demonstration Exercises

The Level 1 Demonstration Exercise “Linnet” was witnessed in May by a team from NII. This was a challenging exercise and the team concluded that the exercise was an adequate demonstration of the emergency arrangements. NII commended Sellafield Ltd on its performance, particularly on command and control where weaknesses had been identified in the past, and we expressed our wish to see this improvement in command and control sustained across the site.

Some areas for improvement were identified and the way forward in dealing with these matters was discussed at the Emergency Exercise Review Group in June. The Group also discussed ways to improve learning from emergency exercises and results from joint safety & security exercises. The scenario for the next Level 1 Demonstration Exercise in November was also agreed in principle.

2.4 - Emergency Management Improvement Programme.

Sellafield Ltd has drawn up a programme to improve their arrangements for managing emergencies. The programme includes the provision of improved Severe Accident Management Strategies (SAMs), analyses of severe accidents to improve the underpinning of the SAMs, and improvements to the way Hazard Identification & Risk Evaluation (HIRE) reports are reviewed in accordance with the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations 2001 (REPPIR).

Progress with the programme will be regularly reviewed by NII at the Emergency Exercise Review Group.

2.5 - Licence Condition 11 (Emergency Arrangements) Site Wide Inspection

During April to June, NII carried out one in a series of planned coordinated site wide inspections associated with key licence conditions. The main aim of these inspections is to gain an understanding of how the licensee is performing across the site in complying with these licence conditions.

The inspections indicated that practices varied across the site. One site wide finding was the lack of nuclear controls, specifically put in place by Sellafield Ltd to address relevant licence conditions, on both the availability and the maintenance, inspection & testing of equipment needed for nuclear emergencies. This matter, and other site wide findings that arose, will be progressed by Sellafield Ltd via the Emergency Management Improvement Programme. As mentioned above, NII will regularly review Sellafield Ltd’s progress against this programme.

Certain facility specific matters arose and these are being progressed by the NII Inspectors who regulate the facilities. One area of concern was the Waste Vitrification Plant (WVP), where shortfalls in management/supervision, training and alarm response documentation were evident. These issues have been accepted by Sellafield Ltd, and are being progressed on an urgent basis with the relevant Director.