UK nuclear agency given safety warning after incident at Dounreay site

The Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) has been served with an improvement notice by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) after a worker was injured in an incident at the Dounreay site. The NRS is responsible for decommissioning nuclear sites, and the Dounreay one in Scotland is a key facility under its supervision. The plant was the UK’s centre of fast reactor research and development for nearly 40 years, ceasing operations in 1994. According to the ONR, the experimental nature of the facility means that its decommissioning process should be conducted through “innovative approaches as well as great care.” Last February, however, a worker on the site was hit by a two-tonne radiological contamination monitor, reporting a minor injury. It compelled the ONR to issue the improvement notice to the NRS, warning that the incident “carried significant potential risk to worker safety” and remarking that it was preventable. ONR superintending inspector Tom Eagleton said the notice requires the Dounreay site to strengthen safety measures and ensure that “comprehensive risk assessments and appropriate control measures” are implemented before heavy equipment work.
In a statement, the NRS said it is working to enhance safety practices at the site and will comply with the requirements of the notice. It has until July 25 to do this.