The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has given permission for construction work to start on a radioactive materials store as part of 'Project Pegasus' at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), but has criticised AWE for “numerous instances” of failing to provide adequate information in the application to commence work.
Safety latest news
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Investigation by safety watchdog concluded that AWE fire could have resulted “in many fatalities”
A scathing report by the government's health and safety watchdog into a fire which broke out at Britain's nuclear weapons factory has concluded that it was fortunate that the incident did not lead to “numerous fatalities.”
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Nuclear weapons factories placed under ‘special measures’ by government nuclear safety watchdog
The factories which build and maintain the UK's nuclear weapons are among five nuclear sites which require an “enhanced level of regulatory attention” because of the risks they pose, according to the government's nuclear safety regulator.
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Ministry of Defence publishes list of submarine base nuclear safety incidents
A power supply failure to submarine berths, leakage from a tap left on in a radioactive waste tank, melting of an ice plug, and a loss of electricity caused when steam valves were mistakenly closed are among a series of unexpected events which have resulted in a string of nuclear incidents and near misses involving Britain's nuclear submarine fleet over the last five years.
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Local councils block proposal to cut AWE Aldermaston emergency planning zone
Local councils and emergency services have blocked a bid to halve the area of a nuclear emergency planning zone surrounding the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston, despite a recommendation to scale down the zone by the government agency responsible for nuclear safety.
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Power loss at Devonport submarine base had ‘potential nuclear implications’
An incident which left an electrical ring main at the base without power for over 90 minutes had “potential nuclear implications” according to an official report, leading to a risk that reactors on board nuclear powered submarines berthed in the dockyard could have overheated.
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Nuclear emergency planning: ‘Muddling through’ is not enough
The UK's nuclear emergency planning arrangements require an urgent review.
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Nuclear regulator bars launch of submarine until quay safety concerns are resolved
The launch of the Navy's latest nuclear powered submarine has been blocked by the government's nuclear safety regulator because of concerns about the structural integrity of a dock quay at the shipyard where the submarine is under construction.
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FOI release sheds new light on nuclear missile submarine collision
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Permission given for structural repair work to commence at Atomic Weapons Establishment uranium facility
Repair work on corroded structural columns in the A45 facility at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Aldermaston has begun after the facility was closed last year for failing to meet nuclear safety standards.
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‘Misunderstandings’ led to breach of nuclear reactor compartment during refit work on Trident submarine
Errors during maintenance work resulted in a breach in the primary containment of the reactor compartment for HMS Vengeance, one of the submarines that carry the Royal Navy's Trident nuclear weapons, during refit work last year at Devonport dockyard.
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Navy’s oldest serving submarine returns to service following radioactive leak
HMS Tireless, one of the Royal Navy's Trafalgar class hunter-killer submarines, has returned to service following a leak of radioactive material into its reactor compartment earlier this year.