Executive summary
Date(s) of inspection: June 2024
Aim of inspection
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. One such inspection was undertaken at Special Nuclear Materials Value Stream (SNM) facilities North within the Sellafield site in West Cumbria to sample evidence of implementation of Sellafield Limited's arrangements for compliance with Licence Condition (LC) 11 (Emergency arrangements) in order to inform a regulatory judgement regarding the licensee’s compliance with its legal duties under the nuclear site licence.
Subject(s) of inspection
- LC11 - Emergency arrangements - Rating: Green
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
The inspection was undertaken on 12 June 2024 by the Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) site inspector.
The inspection involved a planning phase and a site visit, which included discussions with relevant Sellafield Limited personnel, review of records, sampling of information contained within electronic databases, other documentation and an inspection of the Access Control Points (ACP) and Incident Control Centre (ICC).
From a mixture of sampling records, interviewing Sellafield Limited personnel and facility visits, I concluded the following:
- No significant matters were identified that required immediate regulatory attention.
- I saw evidence that SNM North have adequate annual and five-year drills and exercise schedules for all Emergency Operating Instructions (EOIs).
- SNM North were effectively planning and undertaking drills and exercises in line with the corporate arrangements.
- I saw evidence that adequate Cross Plant Resource Agreements (CPRA) are in place and SNM North appeared to adequately manage the CPRA relevant to the Magnox Reprocessing shift change.
- SNM North provided me with assurance that learning from actual events as well as from the drills and exercises has been appropriately captured.
- I saw evidence that those personnel who delivered emergency duties on the day of the inspection were suitably trained to undertake their emergency duty team roles.
- Adequate Access Control Points (ACP) and Incident Control Centre (ICC) were in place.
I identified a number of minor shortfalls and I provided regulatory advice. Sellafield Limited proactively raised a Condition Report and ATLAS actions to capture these minor shortfalls. I will follow these up as part of routine interactions.
Conclusion
On the basis of evidence sampled and the interactions that I held with Sellafield Limited staff, at the time of the inspection, I judge that Sellafield Limited has largely implemented its corporate arrangements for compliance with LC11 (emergency arrangements) at SNM North and South. Upon consideration of the ONR guidance on inspection ratings, I judge that a rating of green (no formal action) is appropriate.