- Site: Sellafield
- IR number: 21-023
- Date: May 2021
- LC numbers: 36
Executive summary
Purpose of Intervention
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) undertakes all regulatory interactions with the Sellafield site licensee (Sellafield Limited (SL)) against a strategy defined by the ONR Sellafield, Decommissioning, Fuel and Waste (SDFW) Division. In accordance with that strategy, Licence Condition (LC) compliance inspections were carried out on the Remediation Value Stream, as planned.
The purpose of this inspection was for ONR to determine the adequacy of the implementation of SL’s arrangements for compliance with LC36 (Organisational capability) at Remediation Values Stream – Beta Gamma - Waste Operating Unit (OU) which is a newly formed organisation within Remediation Value Stream.
Interventions Carried Out by ONR
LC36 requires that the licensee provides and maintains adequate financial and human resources to ensure the safe operation of the licensed site.
We carried out an on-site LC36 compliance inspection of the Waste OU. Our inspection focused on:
- The Wastes OU nuclear baseline (i.e. the means by which SL demonstrates the adequacy of its organisational structure, staffing and competencies to manage nuclear safety), which specifically included the Control and Supervision Organisation Baseline;
- The process followed when implementing changes to Waste OU’s organisational structure; and
- Waste OU’s compliance with the licensee’s corporate arrangements for determining, and ensuring compliance with Minimum Safety Manning Levels (MSML).
The inspection was carried out against ONR’s expectations for LC36. The inspections comprised discussions with SL staff, review of records and sampling of electronic databases and other documentation.
Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate
Not applicable since this was not a System-Based Inspection.
Key Findings, Inspector's Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made
No significant matters were identified that required immediate regulatory attention.
Whilst the Waste OU is a newly formed organisation within Remediation Value Stream the facility management was open and honest regarding some of the challenges being faced, which is welcomed by ONR.
From a mixture of sampling records and interviewing SL personnel we saw evidence that:
- The corporate arrangements have been adequately implemented with the recently documented organisational changes associated with the new Waste OU;
- The management of the Waste OU has an adequate understanding of its nuclear baseline, which it is actively managed to accommodate both recent and future anticipated changes to its business;
- The duty DAPs on the Control and Supervision Organisation Baseline had been appointed in line with corporate arrangements for LC12; and
- Received assurance that the MSML continue to be satisfied.
One minor shortfall (Level 4 Regulatory Issue) was identified to provide evidence that the MSML paper for the Waste OU has been endorsed at a properly constituted, quorate meeting of the relevant local Management Safety Committee (MSC).
Conclusion of Intervention
From the evidence sampled during the inspection, we judge that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that the Wastes OU has adequately implemented SL’s arrangements for LC36, with only one minor area for improvement identified. Noting the ONR guidance on inspection ratings, it is our opinion that an inspection rating of GREEN (no formal action) is merited here. One Level 4 (i.e. lowest level) Regulatory Issue has been raised to manage the implementation of the identified area for improvement. Follow-up will be managed as part of future routine regulatory business.
No significant matters were identified that required immediate regulatory attention.