Skip to content

Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 compliance inspection

  • Site: Dungeness A
  • IR number: 21-053
  • Date: August 2021
  • LC numbers: N/A

Executive summary

Purpose of Intervention

This inspection was undertaken to examine Magnox Limited’s (ML) arrangements for controlling exposure to ionising radiation at the Dungeness A Site. On site Covid-19 secure measures were observed during the visit. This was one of a series of planned inspections during 2021-22 in support of the Decommissioning Fuel and Waste sub-division strategy.

Interventions Carried Out by the Office for Nuclear Regulation

Radiation Protection Specialist Inspectors visited the A site to review compliance with the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17).

Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate

Not Applicable.

Key Findings, Inspector's Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made

The key findings were as follows:

  • Compliance with the IRR17 is implemented through adoption of the ML Standard “S-139 Radiological Safety Rules at the site.
  • Through its system of contractor management the licensee ensures that contractor personnel have suitable “consents to carry out specified practices” as required under IRR17 granted by the appropriate authority prior to undertaking work. A database of all ML contractors and “consents to carry out specified practices” is maintained corporately by the ML Health Physics Head of Profession.
  • The licensee has carried out adequate investigations into radiological related incidents. In most instances the investigations established the circumstances surrounding the events and enabled the identification of appropriate actions to reduce the probability of a recurrence.
  • I judged that the licensee has adequate access to radiation protection specialist resource in the form of accredited health physicists, radiation protection advisers, and radiation protection supervisors at the site.
  • The site has implemented comprehensive Covid-19 secure measures and I observed good compliance during my visit.

Conclusion of Intervention

It is my judgement that the licensee is complying with those elements of IRR17 which were inspected at the A site. Covid-19 secure measures were in place on-site and I observed that good compliance was being demonstrated by both staff and contractors in all of the areas I visited. Feedback was provided to the licensee at the end of the inspection; this included advice and a small number of minor observations.