Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Nuclear
LLC reports
This report is issued as part of the Health and Safety Executive's commitment to make information about inspection and regulatory activities relating to the above site available to the public. It is for distribution to members of the GE Healthcare Ltd Grove Centre Local Liaison Committee (LLC) and covers activities associated with the regulation of safety at the site. Site Inspectors of HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) attend LLC meetings and will be happy to respond to any questions raised there by members. Any other person wishing to inquire about matters covered by this report should contact the HSE’s Nuclear Directorate on 0151-951-4382.
Nuclear Safety Directorate
Health and Safety Executive
Redgrave Court
Merton Road
Bootle
Merseyside
L20 7HS
NII inspections were made on 19–20 July and 25–28 September 2007. (Inspections are also made at GE Healthcare Ltd’s nuclear licensed sites at Cardiff (the Maynard Centre) and Harwell. Where these are relevant to the Grove Centre they are included below. For instance, the sites have many arrangements in common for compliance with the conditions attached to their site licences.)
Inspections are undertaken for the purpose of monitoring compliance with (i) the conditions attached by HSE to the nuclear site licences, and (ii) other relevant provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, including the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999. In this period routine inspections included:
Issues arising from these and previous inspections are being pursued.
Modifications: As required by NII, GE Healthcare Ltd has submitted new draft arrangements for the control of modifications to the plant and processes. These drafts have been discussed at meetings between the two parties, and form the first phase of an improvement programme for these and associated arrangements.
Organisational changes: Proposals for two safety-significant organisational changes were discussed with the licensee during the quarter. After due consideration by the licensee and NII, both were permitted:
Annual Emergency Exercise: This year’s demonstration emergency exercise was held on 26 September. It simulated a fork lift truck crash in the Drytec building, leading to an escape of radioactive material, and two casualties in need of rescue. The exercise tested the site’s back-up Site Incident Control Room—successfully. Again we were pleased to see the support given to the Company by the emergency services: Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, and what is now South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Overall, NII judged the exercise performance to be good, and, for the purpose of regulation, to be a satisfactory demonstration of the licensee’s arrangements for dealing with any accident or emergency arising on the site and its effects.
As part of its regulation under the nuclear site licence NII issues formal regulatory documents, which include Consents, Approvals, Directions, and Licence Instruments1. No such documents were issued in this quarter.
No other issues have arisen that have required formal regulatory action.
1 Licence Instruments are issued: to acknowledge receipt of specified documents, eg proposals for a new or modified plant; to stipulate whether the Inspectorate intends to examine these documents; or to agree to the start of a particular phase of construction, commissioning, modification, or decommissioning.