nuclear-news

The News That Matters about the Nuclear Industry Fukushima Chernobyl Mayak Three Mile Island Atomic Testing Radiation Isotope

UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment found unsafe, by regulator

safety-symbol-Smflag-UKUK nuclear bomb factories rapped by watchdogs over radioactive waste

Atomic Weapons Establishment issued with non-compliance notice by Environment Agency over handling of hazardous waste  heguardian.com, Thursday 2 October 2014 Britain’s nuclear bomb factories have been reprimanded by two government watchdogs for breaking safety rules on radioactive waste.

AWE, the private consortium that operates Trident nuclear weapons facilities at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire for the Ministry of Defence, has come under fire from the Environment Agency (EA) and theOffice for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) for failures in managing its hazardous waste.

The EA has issued AWE with a non-compliance notice because key posts meant to ensure the safe handling of wastes have been vacant for months. These include waste officers, radioactive specialists and the head of environment…….

At the same time ONR is considering whether to take legal action over AWE’s failure to make 1,000 drums of hazardous radioactive waste safe. AWE promised in 2007 to repackage and reduce the waste by February 2014, but has not done so.

“ONR is continuing to investigate AWE’s failure to meet the requirements of the licence instrument, in accordance with our normal processes,” said an ONR spokesman. “ONR will consider enforcement action in accordance with our enforcement policy when all investigations are completed.”…….

Anti-nuclear campaigners accused AWE of only taking action when regulators forced them to. “Like all private companies undertaking government work, AWE is more interested in pursuing profitable activities than doing work which costs money,” said Pete Wilkinson, director ofNuclear Information Service.

“Since 2010 safety and environmental regulators have increasingly had to take action at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, and it is time to start asking whether AWE are fit to run this complex and hazardous site if they are unable to improve standards.” http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/02/uk-nuclear-bomb-factories-rapped-by-watchdogs-over-radioactive-waste

October 3, 2014 - Posted by | safety, UK

No comments yet.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

« Previous | Next »