NUCLEAR SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT PUBLISHED

HSC press release C058:03 - 9 December 2003

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) today published the Triennial Report of its Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee (NuSAC) covering the Committee's work in maintaining safety standards in the nuclear industry for the period 1999 to 2001.

Among major topics considered by the committee were control of contractors and organisation change as NuSAC had concerns over the continuing changes within the industry in downsizing and the increase in the use of contractors from both the safety management and safety performance perspective. NuSAC addressed the problem of storage of liquid high level waste at BNFL Sellafield; management at BNFL following the NII Team Inspection report and the falsification of records report; decommissioning of the ponds and silos at Sellafield, Windscale Piles, WAGR and Magnox NPPs. NuSAC provided advice to the Minister of State for Energy on options for dealing with Prototype Fast Reactor fuel at Dounreay as part of DTI's consultation. NuSAC also provided advice to the HSC on DETR's CD 'UK Strategy for Radioactive Discharges 2001 to 2020' for its response to DETR.

NuSAC also worked with the Defra's Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMAC) on two Joint Studies with each Committee taking the lead for one.

Another major topic for NuSAC covered in the period was the work undertaken by the Sub-committee on Research in providing independent advice to HSC on the adequacy of nuclear safety research.

The full NuSAC Committee met nine times during the period, and visited Wylfa Nuclear Power Plant, the Cogema site at La Hague, France and Sellafield.

During the period NuSAC reviewed, consolidated and formalised its methods of working. A copy of its working draft document is included in the report for interest, together with, for the first time, a list of the papers presented to the committee during the period of the report.

Sir David Harrison retired as NuSAC Chairman in December 1999 after 6 years in office. Professor John L Head undertook the role as Acting Chairman from January 2000. He was appointed Chairman in January 2001.

Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee, Triennial Report 1999/2001, is available free from the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/meetings/iacs/nusac/

Notes for Editors

1. NuSAC's Terms of Reference (ToR) were last updated in 1994, and have since included advice to HSC on the nuclear safety research programme. The current ToR are:

i) to advise HSC and, when appropriate, Secretaries of State, on matters affecting nuclear safety of nuclear installations including design, siting, operation, maintenance and decommissioning which are referred to it or which it considers require attention;

ii) to advise the HSC on the adequacy and balance of its nuclear safety research programme.

2. NuSAC members are appointed by the HSC, normally for a period of three years, and are drawn from a wide field of specialism and expertise. The Chairman and 12 members of the committee are independent. In addition, the CBI and TUC may nominate up to four members each.

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