Devonport dockyard in Plymouth was selected as the sole site for refitting the Royal Navy's nuclear powered submarines by John Major's government even though the competing Rosyth dockyard in Fife would have been safer and cheaper to run, according to recently released archive papers.
Safety latest news
-
-
Radiation leak forces Royal Navy nuclear submarine to return to base
Submarine ordered to return to dock following discovery of coolant leak.
-
Safety watchdog: Atomic Weapons Establishment ‘exposed people to risk’
An investigation by the government's nuclear safety watchdog has found “clear evidence” that the structure of a nuclear processing facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) has degraded to the extent that “normal operations can no longer be justified”.
-
Fears over structural safety of buildings halts work at Atomic Weapons Establishment
Production work has been halted in one of the main manufacturing facilities at the UK's nuclear weapons factory because of safety fears caused by corrosion of structural steelwork. The government's nuclear safety watchdog, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), has issued managers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston, Berkshire, where the warheads for […]
-
Nuclear safety regulator: more work to do in completing post-Fukushima improvements
A report on progress made in implementing recommendations to upgrade the safety of the British nuclear industry in the wake of the Fukushima accident has concluded that more than 400 improvement actions have yet to be completed.
-
Unanswered questions following Ministry of Defence Fukushima review
A range of potential safety issues identified following a review of the Ministry of Defence's nuclear weapons and nuclear submarine programmes need further investigation, according to the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR). The safety review was conducted by DNSR in the light of the Fukushima nuclear accident, following a similar review undertaken by the Office […]
-
Atomic Weapons Establishment fire cover-up prompts call for greater safety disclosure
-
NIS Update: August 2012
This month's NIS Update includes information on plans to hand over the RNAD Coulport Trident nuclear weapons store to private sector contractors; delays in hearing the court case resulting from the August 2010 fire at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, and arrangements for power range testing the nuclear reactor on board the Royal Navy's new Astute class submarine, HMS Ambush.
-
NIS Update: July 2012
STAFF SHORTAGES AND RESOURCE CUTS CHALLENGE MoD NUCLEAR SAFETY
Staff shortages and spending cuts remain key concerns in managing the safety of Ministry of Defence (MoD) nuclear weapons and nuclear powered submarine programmes, according to the annual report of the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR).
-
NIS Update: June 2012
TWO-YEAR BLUEPRINT PUBLISHED FOR REMOVING TRIDENT FROM SCOTLAND
Scottish ministers have welcomed a practical guide, drawn up by the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (SCND), on how to dismantle the Trident nuclear weapons system and remove it from Scotland within two years of independence.
-
Health and Safety Executive to prosecute Atomic Weapons Establishment over fire
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has decided to prosecute AWE plc, the private company which operates the Atomic Weapons Establishment, following a fire in an explosives handling facility at AWE Aldermaston in August 2010. AWE plc has been summoned to appear at Reading Magistrates Court on 6 August 2012 to face charges of failing […]
-
Furnace failings posed nuclear safety threat at Atomic Weapons Establishment
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal technical problems relating to furnaces at the UK's nuclear weapons factory.