- Site: AWE Aldermaston
- IR number: 22-016
- Date: May 2022
- LC numbers: 36
Executive summary
Purpose of Intervention
This intervention was held at AWE, Aldermaston. The purpose was to judge AWE’s progress on delivery of its LC36 improvement plan.
This intervention is part of the Weapons Sub-division intervention strategy.
Representatives from the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR) and AWE’s Internal Regulator have a standing invitation to join ONR inspections. As such representatives from DNSR and AWE were part of the inspection team.
Interventions Carried Out by ONR
This inspection was carried out on 12th May 2022.
The inspection was informed by the following ONR guidance documents:
- NS-TAST-GD-065 Revision 4, Function and Content of the Nuclear Baseline
- NS-TAST-GD-048 Revision 6, Organisational Change
Explanation of Judgement if Safety System Not Judged to be Adequate
N/A. This was not a systems-based inspection.
Key Findings, Inspector’s Opinions and Reasons for Judgements Made
I examined AWE’s planned progress on delivery of its LC36 improvement plan. My sampling focused on:
- AWE’s LC36 arrangements
- Progress on actions raised by AWE’s internal regulator
- Vulnerability management in a technology centre and the Operations function
- Follow up of extant regulatory issues
- Selected actions on the AWE LC36 improvement plan
- The AWE nuclear baseline
AWE provided evidence of adequate progress in all areas sampled.
Conclusion of Intervention
I judge that AWE’s progress against its LC36 improvement plan is adequate.
I judge that progress on the extant regulatory issues can be followed up through L3 and L4 regulatory interface meetings and that there is no requirement to continue with the quarterly LC36 inspections.
I judge that this inspection is rated green.