The publication of the Nuclear Safety and Radiological Safety Events Report (April 2015 to December 2017) by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is a welcome contribution towards building trust and confidence in the safety of the UK nuclear industry.
AWE continues to adopt an open incident recording culture, and places importance in understanding the root cause of events that occur on its sites, however minor, to prevent recurrence.
The events listed for the AWE sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield carry a rating of 1 on the INES (International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale) – this is at the lower end of the scale and as such, the events are classified as ‘anomalies.’
Paul Rees, AWE’s Head of Safety, said: “The ONR considered that the actions taken by AWE in response to the listed events to be ‘appropriate’ and ‘adequate’ in all cases, and there was no impact on staff, public safety or the environment.
“AWE is committed to attaining and maintaining the highest standards in safety and we will continue to work closely with our regulators to deliver these standards.”