- Site: Sellafield
- IR number: 19-41
- Date: June 2019
- LC numbers: 5
Executive summary
Purpose of Intervention
ONR undertakes planned regulatory inspections at Sellafield, against a strategy defined by the ONR Sellafield, Decommissioning, Fuel and Waste (SDFW) Division. The planned inspection schedule for 2019/20 identifies the Licence Conditions (LCs) that will be inspected over this period.
This planned inspection was undertaken to determine if Sellafield Ltd’s (SL) Consignment organisation is adequately implementing the licensee’s site-wide arrangements for compliance with Licence Condition 5 (Consignment of nuclear matter). SL’s Consignment organisation is responsible for the adequate management and control for consignments of all nuclear matter (including excepted matter and radioactive waste) consigned from the site.
The overall adequacy of SL's site-wide LC5 arrangements is considered separately in other ONR inspections.
Interventions Carried Out by ONR
Licence Condition 5 requires the licensee to keep a record of all nuclear matter (including excepted matter and radioactive waste) consigned from the site and such record shall contain particulars of the amount, type and form of such nuclear matter, the manner in which it was packed, the name and address of the person to whom it was consigned and the date when it left the site.
My inspection, which comprised discussions with SL staff, and examination of documentation, focussed on implementation of SL arrangements that:
- Define excepted manner, radioactive material and waste.
- Manage consignments arriving and leaving the site.
- Define and assign roles and responsibilities.
- Establish auditable life time quality records.
- Demonstrate consignments are in accordance with specification.
- Consider learning from experience.
Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate
Not applicable.
Key Findings, Inspector's Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made
There were no significant adverse findings identified during my inspection I consider that the implementation of the licensee’s arrangements for LC5 within the Consignment organisation is good in several areas. For instance, it has established an Office Consignment Authority that also forms part of its site-wide emergency arrangements. However, a small number of minor areas or improvements were also identified, for example the need for SL to review its local arrangements that relate to specific roles and responsibilities.
Conclusion of Intervention
As a result of this inspection I consider the arrangements and their implementation in respect of LC5 to be adequate. My findings were shared with and accepted by the licensee as part of normal inspection feedback.