30 May 2014 NBS/LLC/1 See Distribution MINUTES OF THE LOCAL LIAISON COMMITEE (LLC) MEETING HELD ON 12 DEC 2013 AT WELCOME HALL, DEVONPORT. Present Commodore G T Little OBE ADC RN Mr M Homer Mr J Meaken Mr G Perritt (Part Time) Mr S Senior Dr P Naylor Mrs J Makings Mr R Collison Mr M Ikin Mr A Micallef Ms E Dunne Cllr G Wheeler Ms N Herne Mr R Carton Mr D Haigh Cllr B Hobbs Mr B Wright Mr M Hancox Ms W Smith Mr M Lomas Mrs L Coulton Mr R Clark Mr M Rawling Mr D Black Capt M Robinson RN Mr G Moorcroft Mr B Hine Mr K Choak Mrs J Duggan Mr N Parsons Mrs J Pollard Mrs K Woodward Mr L Netherton Mrs R Stevens Mr N Parsons Cdr N Hardiman RN Mr C Crook Item 1 - Chairman’s Opening Remarks Chairman Babcock MoD Plymouth CC Plymouth CC EA Babcock Babcock Babcock MoD Police Babcock Plymouth CC Plymouth CC Plymouth CC DCLG Cornwall CC Babcock Babcock Babcock Babcock MoD MoD Cornwall CC DNSR DNSR ONR Babcock Babcock MoD MoD Public Public Public Public MoD SDP MoD MoD (Sec) Action The Chairman opened the meeting with introductions and a reminder of the protocols. The Chairman said that the period since the last LLC had been very busy for the Devonport site with continued success across a taught operational and deep 1 maintenance programme but MoD and Babcock had continued to make good progress across a broad front, noting: 1. The success of Short Sermon 13 (Oct 13), the post-exercise all-Agency Report for which was currently being compiled and would be available for scrutiny in Spring 2014 (PMN – this was now expected to be released in June); 2. Continued good Regulatory engagement with ONR, DNSR and EA; 3. The strong H&S, Environmental and Radiological performance; 4. Progress with Nuclear Infrastructure and the Disposal of Redundant Equipment; 5. The challenge of sustaining the workforce (both MoD and Industrial Partners); 6. Confidence that the Naval Base was moving in a positive direction. Item 2 - Apologies Dr V Pearson (Devon CC) Mrs M Smith (Plymouth NHS) Prof. D Lapthorne (Public Health England) Mr G Harris (Babcock) Mrs C Wildish (Devon & Cornwall Police) Item 3 – Minutes of Last meeting & Matters Arising The minutes of the last meeting were approved with minor amendments and these would now be re-issued by Babcock. Mr M Hancox Mrs Woodward raised three points arising from the minutes of the last meeting: It was Mrs Woodward’s understanding that Prof. Lapthorne had agreed to provide the meeting with an update on the ‘cumulative health effects’ study that was being undertaken by DPH. There was some confusion as to whether this was the case but Mr Perritt agreed to contact Prof. Lapthorne and confirm what she had agreed to provide. Mrs Woodward considered the level of advance advertising in the local media about the meeting to be inadequate. NBC said that two consecutive weekly notices had been placed in both the local newspapers and the date of the meeting published on the Babcock website. Although he considered this sufficient, he agreed to endeavour to make the public more aware of future meetings and review the methods for promulgation. Mrs Woodward said that, despite an assurance at the last meeting, she had still not received a list of EA contacts from Dr P Naylor. Dr Naylor apologised and agreed to discuss the issue further with Mrs Woodward outside of the meeting. Item 4 – Devonport Site Safety & Operational Updates Mr J Meaken and Mr M Hancox gave a joint presentation on current issues across the Devonport site, highlighting the high priority placed by both MoD and Babcock on Health and Safety in both the workforce and general public. (Enclosure 1). Topics covered included submarine activities, Short Sermon 13, site events, fires and accidents since the last LLC, Radioactive Waste disposal, Single Wall Primary Circuit Discharge Hose (PCD) use at 8 Wharf North North, Disposal and Recycling 2 Mr G Perritt NBC Dr P Naylor of Redundant Equipment (DRRE), environmental improvements and the Safety Improvement Notice placed upon Babcock by ONR. NBC concluded the joint presentation by stating that the safety of both the workforce and local population were the overarching site priorities and both MoD and Babcock were committed to a culture of Safety Improvement. NBC stated that whilst there was a good safety culture, a joint commitment to continuous improvement and a positive general trend during the period, an extremely sad recent fatality on site had caused both management teams to reflect, recognising the incident itself is being evaluated by HSE. He added that there continues to be no significant radiological risk to either the workforce or general public as a result of the work undertaken at Devonport. Cllr Wheeler asked how the NB could prevent a combination of events from reoccurring which could potentially lead to another failure of the PCD Single Wall Hose. Mr Meaken replied that the hose that failed had been in use for over 10 years and had been designed some 20 years ago. The new version of single wall hose is a recent design and more than countered the environmental argument for a double-hose unit. Improvements to the storage arrangements were currently being investigated to further reduce any risk, and the life of the new hose would be restricted to 5 years. Additionally, a revised inspection procedure and maintenance regime was currently being introduced. Cllr Wheeler asked for confirmation that the fumes, SRC fatality and depth gauge incidents mentioned in Mr Hancox’s presentation would be reported on by the Regulator. Mr Hancox said that this would indeed be the case and would be covered further at a future meeting when appropriate to do so. Mrs R Stevens asked whether there was any update on the question of evacuation of the public during an incident and whether it had been tested to any degree during Short Sermon 13. Mr Senior said that it was still PCC’s view that evacuation was not desirable and that sheltering indoors was the better option for the public. Mrs Woodward asked about the health and safety implications of the dredging licence for toxic sludge removed from the Naval Base. Dr Naylor said that all material had to be rigorously tested by DeFRA and independently verified before a license could be issued by them. NBC corrected Mrs Woodward stating that the dredge material was not toxic and that the Naval Base does not dump hazardous material and that all dredging activities were fully licensed and regulated. Mr Meaken then outlined the procedure for the application and issue of licenses in further detail. Mrs J Pollard asked about the burning of radioactive waste in the new Incinerator at Weston Mill. Dr Naylor explained that it was his understanding that Very Low Level and Low Level nuclear waste from the Devonport site would not be processed there but that radioactive waste from other facilities (eg Derriford Hospital) that measured below specific exemption level set by the Government could be treated as normal waste. All Very Low Level and Low Level material generated by the Naval Base would continue to be disposed of in the same way as now and would not be sent to the Incinerator. It would be specifically designated for landfill and would be prevented from being returned and processed at Weston Mill. Cllr Wheeler said that an Energy from Waste (EfW) Consultative Forum existed which would probably provide a better medium for this particular discussion. NBC agreed and asked that details of the next meeting be made known. In conclusion, he stated that emissions from the EfW plant would be very strictly controlled and 3 Mr M Hancox monitored when the plant became operational to ensure the plant was operating within the EA permit. (pmn: The next EfW Consultative Forum meeting was scheduled to take place on 23 January 2014 at Weston Mill Oak Villa Social Club, Plymouth). Mrs Pollard submitted a written question to the Committee which Mr Meaken undertook to respond to outside the meeting. Item 5 – Plymouth City Council (PCC) Issues Mr Giles Perritt gave a brief update on behalf of PCC. He outlined the scope and scale of its involvement in Short Sermon 13 (SS13) and commended participants, especially Cornwall County Council (CCC), for their commitment and support during the planning and execution of the exercise. Councillor G Wheeler asked whether there was any significance in not mentioning Devon County Council(DCC) in this regard. Mr Perritt replied that, as ever, PCC enjoyed a strong relationship with them and that DCC had performed excellently in the exercise. He noted that CCC had operated a ‘Silver’ Command Centre in Truro for the first time during SS13 and that it had performed very well. Cllr Wheeler asked why the PCC presentation had made no mention of or reference to the ‘stretched’ nature of information provision to Gold and Silver Command Centres outlined in the MoD/Babcock presentation. Mr Perritt said that as much realism as possible was inbuilt into the exercise and that the main focus of media attention would likely be on Plymouth. In previous exercises, media activity had been centred on Middlemoor but it was felt that this would not be the case in the event of a real emergency. Having more than one multi-agency media outlet inevitably meant that information exchange put people under pressure but this had, however, proved to be a worthwhile and productive innovation. Mrs Stevens asked how far into the community the ‘Response and Recovery’ exercise stretched with regard to the impact of an event on the local and regional area. NBC replied that the possible economic and environmental legacy of an event across the region had been a key element of the Recovery exercise. Item 6 – Regulators Reports Environment Agency (EA) Report Dr Naylor gave a short presentation, which included a summary of recent site inspections and key events, and said that the latest EA Report had been sent to LLC members. (Enclosures 2 & 3) He went on to outline the annual Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (RIFE) Report which both the EA and Food Standards Agency compile together and whose latest edition, covering 2012, had been released in October. (It can be found at: www.sepa.org.uk/radioactive_substances/publications/rife_reports.aspx). He briefly summarised the findings for Devonport and made copies of the relevant pages available to attendees. He explained that sampling was carried out on locally grown foodstuffs, sediment samples and seafood caught but that air monitoring 4 Mr J Meaken was carried out across the UK at a few sites. Cllr Wheeler thanked Dr Naylor for his presentation and contribution to the LLC over the years. He asked whether the detection of Iodine 131 in locally taken samples implied that Derriford Hospital was not controlling its discharges. Dr Naylor replied that the discharges were most likely from human excretions from patients who had been given a radiation dose for medical reasons. Mrs Pollard asked whether Naval Base nuclear waste in sewage was still being processed at the Camel’s Head treatment plant. Dr Naylor confirmed that the majority of such waste continued to be sent there but the level of radioactivity was at such levels as to be below the limit of detection at the point of exit from the base. Mrs Stevens asked whether it would be possible to have a high volume air sampler sited in Plymouth. Dr Naylor replied that there is a air sampler located within the dockyard and that the current method of sampling continued to be an efficient way of doing so. Mrs Woodward asked what the levels of recorded particulates were. Dr Naylor replied that all were well below legal limits. Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) Mr Doug Black presented a report on behalf of the DNSR (Enclosure 4) and said that no new non-routine matters or permission requirements had arisen since the last meeting.. Cllr Wheeler asked whether the recent Resin Flask contamination incident was covered in the ONR report, to which Mr Black replied in the affirmative. Mrs Woodward asked whether any non-planned visits were made by DNSR to Devonport. Mr Black said that they were ‘by exception’. Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Mr Graham Moorcroft presented a report on behalf of the Office of Nuclear Regulation (Enclosures 5 and 6). He said that the recent Safety Improvement Notice (SIN) placed on Babcock was being followed up along with conducting routine inspections and the consideration of consequent reports. The close-out date for these was March 2014 and the SIN Report was available on the ONR website. He added that progress towards ONR becoming a Statutory Regulator by April 2014 continued to be made. Cllr Wheeler asked whether the loss of current posts was responsible for the organisational changes at Senior Level within Babcock. Mr Moorcroft confirmed that this was the case and said that License Condition 36 requires that an adequate management structure be put in place and maintained. Mr M Homer added that, as far as Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP) were concerned, a Nuclear Baseline exists which sets the levels of required SQEP staff numbers. A new DRDL management structure has augmented this and ensured compliance by the company with new nuclear industry standards. 5 Cllr B Hobbs asked whether future SQEP staff changes would be looked at earlier in future to avoid any loss of SQEP personnel. Mr Homer confirmed that this would be done and that succession training had been put in place to address the issue. Cllr Wheeler asked whether the 14 Dock Reactor Access House programme was still on time. Mr Homer replied that the build which is part of the Future Nuclear Facilities Programme was ongoing in the Frigate Refit Complex. This project is on schedule and tooling had either been delivered or was being manufactured. The Safety Case was complete and with the regulators, delivery was expected in time for the first planned de-fuel in 2017. He agreed to provide an overview of the programme to the next meeting. Mrs Stevens asked if ONR review security during their inspections. Mr Moorcroft replied that ONR take recognition for AC2 (Security) from DNSR. Cllr Wheeler asked whether the 9 Dock Reactor Access House would become unserviceable and be demolished. Mr Homer confirmed that there was no planned usage of the facility after the completion of HMS Vengeance’s refit but that there were no decommissioning plans. It would be placed into an appropriate care and maintenance regime and its long term use reviewed at some future point for the eventual defuel of the Vanguard Class. Cllr Wheeler asked why no further action was mentioned in the latest ONR quarterly report regarding the loss of the nuclear shore power supply in July 2012. Mr Moorcroft said that this would be covered in the next report to the LLC. Mrs Woodward enquired who set the timescales for SIN compliance and enforcement action. Mr Moorcroft said that ONR set the timescales but that requests for extensions can be made to them. Item 8 – Submarine Dismantling Project Update Mr N Parsons made a presentation to the meeting on the latest developments regarding the Submarine Dismantling Project. (Enclosure 7). He confirmed that the first boat to enter the programme would be Swiftsure at Rosyth, commencing January 2016. Mrs Stevens asked whether there was a commitment not to remove Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPV) from submarines until such time as a permanent storage facility had been built. Mr Parsons confirmed that no removal would begin until an approved disposal route had been agreed with the Regulator. He added that a decision had been taken in March 2013 to tackle the removal of waste in two stages: Low level Waste (LLW) first and then Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) to follow (as briefed at the July 2013 meeting). NBC said that the reduction of the legacy waste burden has to be the best approach so the early removal of LLW was desirable. When the shortlist of possible ILW storage sites was announced, PCC would be consulted and the Press briefed by the Naval Base. Mrs Pollard raised the question of possible leaks from submarines awaiting disposal. Mr Parsons said that protocols were in place to review each submarine’s 6 Mr M Homer past life, incidents and operations in order to focus on any particular areas of possible concern. Each boat would be treated individually. Item 10 - Items Raised by LLC Members There were no additional questions raised by LLC Members. Item11 – Questions From the Floor Relating to Briefs Mrs Woodward said that she had been promised a copy of the last meeting’s presentations but had still to receive these. NBC said that these would be sent together with a copy of the documents from this meeting. Secretary Mrs Woodward asked whether the Naval Base has its own in-house Fire Service. NBC replied that we do not. However, during ‘hot work’ eg welding, a fire fighting team is always present. Close dialogue with Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) is maintained with regard to their support to the Naval Base during incidents and a large scale demonstration exercise had recently been held with retained fire fighters from across the region. Regular quarterly meetings are also held with DSFRS. Risk Assessments have been carried out and activities restrained in areas where a response cannot be guaranteed. Item 12 - AOB The next two meetings are due to be held on 17 July 2014 and 22 January 2015 at Welcome Hall, Devonport. Item 13 - Closing Remarks The Chairman thanked everyone for the attendance and input and closed the meeting. Enclosures: 1. Joint MoD/Babcock Operations Presentation. 2. EA Report. 3. EA Presentation. 4. DNSR Report 5. ONR Report 1 6. ONR Report 2 7. Submarine Dismantling Project Update Presentation 7 Babcock/MoD Distribution: Internal: Commodore M Robinson RN, Director, Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator Captain J Hughes, COMDEVFLOT Captain (SM) Surgeon Captain P Benton RN, NMOH Mr D Black, Principal Inspector, Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator Ms L Coulton, SPRO, NBHQ Chief Inspector C Pitcher MOD Police Mrs S Burrows, SHP EPR, NBRSD Mr R Clark, SHPRPA, NBRSD Captain G Pettitt RN, CoB External: Emergency Services Mrs D Simpson, Assistant Chief Constable, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Mrs L Jones, Civil Contingencies and Emergency Planning Officer, Devon & Cornwall Constabulary Mr S Wilkins, Contingency Planning Unit, Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Mr W Martin, Resilience Officer, (West Division) South West Ambulance Service Mr M Killoran, Peninsula Emergency Planning Co-ordinator, South West Ambulance Service Mr N Jones Group Manager, Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service Cornwall Council Mr R Fedorowicz, Senior Emergency Management Officer Mr S Besford-Foster, Community Network Area Manager Councillor B Hobbs, Councillor C Riches 8 Devon County Council Mr S Kitchen, County Emergency Planning Officer Councillor J Hart Councillor R Croad Plymouth City Council Ms T Lees, Chief Executive and Town Clerk Mr G Perritt, Head of Continuous Improvement Mr S Senior, Civil Protection Manager, Civil Protection Unit Mr R Carton, Public Protection Manager Public Protection Service Mr R Longford, Public Relations Officer Councillor G Wheeler Councillor B Vincent Councillor M Coker. South Hams District Council Mr D Incoll, Chief Executive Mr I Bollans, Chief Environmental Health Officer Mr P Dale, Emergency Planner Councillor J W Squire West Devon Borough Council Mr I Luscombe, District Emergency Planning Officer Councillor R Pike Health Organisations Mr P Smith, Health Protection Practitioner, South West (South) Health Protection Unit, Richmond Court, Emperor way, Exeter Business Park, Exeter, EX1 3QS Dr Mark Kealy, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control, South West (South) Health Protection Unit, Richmond Court, Emperor Way, Exeter Business Park Exeter, EX1 3QS 9 Mr C Pallot, Health Emergency Preparedness Manager, Health Protection Agency South West, 2 Rivergate, Temple Quay Bristol BS1 6EH Mrs D Burton, Emergency Planning Manager, NHS Devon, Commissioning Headquarters, County Hall, Topsham Road Exeter EX2 4QL Dr N Rowles, Principle Physicist, Derriford Hospital, Derriford Road, Plymouth, PL6 8DH G Vivian, Clinical Director of Nuclear Medicine, Level 6, Derriford Hospital, Derriford Road, Plymouth, PL6 8DH. Mr N Vine, Emergency Planning Manager, NHS Plymouth, The Public Dispensary, 18 Catherine Street, Plymouth, PL1 2AD. Devonport Royal Dockyard Mr A Bethel CBE, Chief Executive, Babcock Dr D Gilbert CBE, Managing Director, Strategic Development Mr S French OBE, Director Nuclear Environmental Safety & Quality, Babcock Mr M Homer, Managing Director, Strategic Development, Babcock Mr M Hancox, Nuclear Assurance Manager, Babcock Mr P Jones, Environment and Fire Manager, Babcock Mr B Phillips, Emergency Planning Manager, Babcock Mrs W Smith, Corporate Affairs Manager, Babcock External Authorities Mr P Daybell, AMECSERCO Assurance, MoD Project Registry Mrs J Phillips, National Farmers Union, South West Region Dr P Naylor, Nuclear Regulator, Environment Agency Station Director Mr M Harrison (fao Emergency Preparedness Engineer), EDFBritish Energy, Hinkley Point B Power Station Mr I Bramwell, HM Principal Inspector, Health and Safety Executive, ONR Mr J Welch, Health and Safety & Security Advisor, South West Water Services Ltd Mr G Graham, Site Emergency Planner, UK AEA, Winfrith Mr S Conney, Head of Assessments Nuclear Sites and Radiological Standards Branch, The Food Standards Agency Mr D Haigh, Resilience Unit, Government Office for the South West, Regional Resilience Team 10
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