- Site: Sellafield
- Inspection ID: 50162
- Date: October 2022
- LC numbers: 36
Executive summary
Purpose of inspection
Gain assurance that Spent Fuel Services is compliant with Sellafield’s arrangements, made under the nuclear site licence, for Licence Condition (LC) 36 (Organisational capability).
In accordance with the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s (ONR’s) Sellafield Strategy, each year ONR performs a series of planned inspections to seek assurance of compliance against selected licence conditions, targeted at those facilities with significant importance to nuclear safety.
Subject(s) of inspection
- LC36 - Organisational capability (Rating - Green)
Key findings
Spent Fuel Services (SFS) is in a period of change as MAGNOX Reprocessing has ceased and there is a requirement to move personnel into new roles, while ensuring safety case requirements are maintained during the transition, and until relevant parts of the safety case are withdrawn. I am satisfied that SFS is controlling these changes and is maintaining personnel in safety roles while the facility transitions, and that there is a plan to manage these future changes using the extant arrangements. I reviewed the nuclear baseline with SFS and am content that the unit understands its baseline and the gaps within it. One minor shortfall was identified with respect to the nuclear baseline where the annual review had lapsed.
I am satisfied that SFS has used the extant arrangements to control changes since the last inspection. The sampled Management of Change Risk Assessment (MoCRA) had been categorised correctly in accordance with the overall arrangements, actions had been completed, as had appropriate governance and a post implementation review.
I found that SFS has a control and supervision baseline in place that has been reviewed by the required committee, however, minor shortfalls in relation to the required signatures were observed.
Minimum safe manning level documents were in place for the relevant sub-units, these had followed the correct arrangements in relation to governance.
Notwithstanding some minor shortfalls, I found that overall, SFS understands and has control of its nuclear baseline, control and supervision baseline and minimum safe manning levels documents and is compliant with the arrangements made under the nuclear site licence for LC36.
Judgements made
Notwithstanding the shortfalls identified in relation to a lapsed annual review of the nuclear baseline, and some signatory issues related to the control and supervision baseline, I am satisfied that overall SFS is compliant with arrangements under the nuclear site licence for LC36. My feedback was accepted by the SFS Head of Operations on completion of the inspection.