- Site: Sellafield
- IR number: 21-109
- Date: October 2021
- LC numbers: 11
Executive summary
Purpose of Intervention
This intervention record covers the planned inspection of Exercise SIERRA LIMA 1, a Sellafield Ltd Level 1 combined safety and security demonstration exercise. The purpose of the intervention was to evaluate the adequacy of existing arrangements to ensure compliance with Licence Condition 11 (Emergency Arrangements) and the delivery of the Sellafield Ltd approved security plan’s (SP) Physical Protection System (PPS).
Interventions Carried Out by ONR
Licence Condition 11 (LC11) requires the licensee to make and implement adequate arrangements to deal with any accident or emergency arising on the site and to ensure that such arrangements are rehearsed periodically. The approved SP requires Sellafield Ltd. to undertake an annual counter terrorism response exercise.
The exercise was assessed by a multi-discipline team of twelve ONR inspectors located at strategic positions around the site. Our inspection was completed in accordance with the following ONR guidance:
- NS-INSP-GD-011, Revision 5, July 2017 – Emergency arrangements.
- TIG CNS-INSP-GD-10.0 Revision 2 – Emergency Preparedness and Response
Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate
No applicable; this was not a Safety System inspection.
Key Findings, Inspector's Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made
Sellafield Ltd demonstrated their emergency arrangements with an exercise that was comprised of three different phases. The scenario provided a significant challenge, in particular for the Sellafield Site Shift Manager and the Emergency Duty Team (EDT). We welcome demanding exercises as they generally uncover greater learning and that was certainly the case during this exercise.
Whilst there were areas of good practice at the facility level there were many learning opportunities identified particularly within the Site Emergency Control Centre (SECC) related to command and control, accurate and timely passage of information and balancing multiple hazards. Sellafield Ltd has acknowledged this and has agreed to address these learning opportunities and will invite ONR to observe future emergency exercising events to demonstrate that these lessons have been embedded. This latter point is especially important because the exercise identified repeated shortfalls in the implementation of arrangements, for example briefing of first responders, which raises questions about Sellafield Ltd’s ability to embed learning.
Conclusion of Intervention
We consider that this was an adequate demonstration warranting an intervention rating of GREEN (no formal action required) for both LC11 and the approved SP provided that the significant learning from the exercise is appropriately taken forward and embedded.
A level 4 regulatory issue will be raised to track Sellafield Ltd.’s progress on incorporating the learning from this exercise into their emergency arrangements.