Safety

Radiation Safety

During more than 50 years of operations, AWE has never had a radiological incident or other major accident which has put the public at risk. We are committed to continuously improving our safety systems, and to being fully prepared to deal with even the most unlikely circumstances.

Exercises are regularly undertaken to ensure that our safety and response procedures are robust and effective, and that our staff are competent and practiced to deal with any emergency. Our emergency planning is co-ordinated with the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Defence Police, our own and local fire and ambulance services, the police, and the local authorities’ emergency planning organisations.

We produce a public information leaflet entitled REPPIR (Radiation Emergency Preparedness & Public Information Regulations), which is distributed to residents and businesses within the vicinity of AWE. The leaflet advises the appropriate course of action in the very unlikely event of an incident. You can download the REPPIR leaflet here.

In addition to the kind of potentially hazardous processes and materials found in any large industrial facility, we also use explosives and radioactive materials that require special handling. However, the effect of our operations on health & safety both inside and outside of our sites is negligible.

Due to the rigorous safety measures we have in place at AWE, even those staff who deal with radioactive substances are only subjected to very tiny amounts of radiation – in fact, our maximum exposure to employees is less than the average ‘background’ radiation that members of the public are exposed to in many everyday situations.

Due to the potentially harmful nature of plutonium and enriched uranium, they are stored safely and securely in special sealed containers. When being worked upon, they are handled in airtight cabinets called glove-boxes to prevent any release of materials and to shield the operators. AWE’s strict control measures ensure that all of our radioactive materials are accounted for.

Our precautions not only apply to handling radioactive materials, but to all our activities. This includes assessing our use of chemicals, with the ultimate aim to eliminate all possible risks.

Our operations are regulated by numerous bodies including the Nuclear Installation Inspectorate, and HSE. Regulation provides public assurance and marks AWE’s achievements.