During the reporting period from 1 September 2021 – 31 December 2021 there were three incidents within Great Britain that meet the Ministerial Reporting Criteria (MRC) as defined within the Nuclear Installations (Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 1965 and ONR guidance in relation to notifying and reporting incidents and events.
Sellafield
Incident description
On 9 August 2021 Sellafield Ltd reported to ONR that holes had been identified in one of the ventilation ducts in the Highly Active Liquor Evaporation and Storage facility.
Similar holes have been identified and repaired in the past and the removal of a redundant nearby structure had allowed further inspection and the identification of the new holes.
Although radioactive contamination has been detected external to the duct, there is no evidence of contamination beyond the immediate vicinity of the duct. There is no increase of dose to either workers or to members of the public.
Dutyholder's response
Sellafield Ltd, has carried out further inspections and radiological monitoring around the area to confirm no further release from the duct. Sellafield Ltd are planning work to repair the duct work.
ONR's action
ONR has worked alongside the Environment Agency to monitor the dutyholder’s response. We consider the actual or potential harm to people or the environment to be low. We remain content that Sellafield Ltd has undertaken the appropriate immediate steps to respond to the event and will repair the duct.
The International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) rating is provisionally 0 – Below Scale (no safety significance).
Sellafield - Magnox Reprocessing Facility (MRF)
Incident description
On 22 October 2021 a fire was detected in a radiologically controlled area within the Sellafield Magnox Reprocessing Facility.
Dutyholder's response
The plant responded in accordance with the emergency instruction and evacuated the building.
Sellafield Fire & Rescue arrived promptly and extinguished the fire.
Sellafield Ltd reported that there were no nuclear safety issues, no injuries were sustained and there were no radiological consequences.
A Fire Safety Assessor from Cumbria Fire Service was dispatched to site and determined the cause of the fire to be a faulty light fitting which ignited plastic scaffolding boards.
Magnox reprocessing operations were shut down. Sellafield Ltd has now checked and replaced damaged equipment and cabling in the area.
Sellafield Ltd has assured themselves that all equipment is working correctly in the area and has brought the Magnox reprocessing facility back into service.
ONR's action
ONR judges that Sellafield Ltd responded appropriately and followed its emergency arrangements.
The plant remained in a safe state and no immediate action was required by ONR.
No investigation was required by ONR as there was no radiological or nuclear safety consequences from this incident.
Siemens Healthcare Limited
Incident description
On 11 September 2021 a package being transported for Siemens Healthcare Limited between Siemens’ production facility at Mount Vernon Hospital in London and London Bridge Hospital fell from a vehicle while in transit. It appears the package of radiopharmaceuticals was not secured correctly in the vehicle and while in transit became loose. The loose package then pressed the internal door release button due to the movement of the vehicle and fell out.
Radiopharmaceuticals are radioactive medicines commonly used for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as cancer which are routinely transported to medical facilities across the country. Transport arrangements must meet strict regulatory requirements to protect workers and the public.
Dutyholder's response
The undamaged package was found by a member of the public who quickly contacted Siemens Healthcare Limited to collect it.
There was no risk to the member of the public or the environment from the undamaged package.
Since an improvement notice was issued by ONR, Siemens Healthcare Limited has provided ONR with a suitable radiation risk assessment and implementation schedule which meets the requirements of the regulations. This has demonstrated to ONR that they have complied fully with the requirements of the Improvement Notice which was closed on 21 January 2022.
ONR's action
After the incident was reported to the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), an investigation was carried out into Siemens Healthcare Limited’s handling of the loss of the package of radiopharmaceuticals.
Following the investigation ONR served Siemens Healthcare Limited with an Improvement Notice, due to an inadequate radiation risk assessment which was the underlying cause of the failure to respond to the incident in a suitable way. The Improvement Notice was issued under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Section 2(1) and 3(1) and Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 Regulation 8 – Radiation Risk Assessment.
*Siemens Healthcare Limited are Trading as Siemens Healthineers PETNET (Mt Vernon).