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Security and emergency planning and exercises

We work closely with a wide circle of advisers and interested parties including the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) and other Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR, formerly Department of Trade and Industry) officials regarding security arrangements at the Low Level Waste Repository.

Site Alert Status:

NORMAL – Routine protective security measures appropriate to the business concerned.

HEIGHTENED – Additional and sustainable protective security measures reflecting the broad nature of the threat combined with specific business and geographical vulnerabilities and judgements on acceptable risk.

EXCEPTIONAL – Maximum protective security measures to meet specific threats and to minimise vulnerability and risk.

In the very unlikely event of an incident at the LLW Repository, a four-phase response would immediately take effect comprising:
  • The control of the accident at the site.
  • The assessment of the consequences arising from the accident, and alerting the relevant authorities and the public.
  • The introduction of counter measures to minimise short and longer-term effects.
  • The return to normal conditions.

To ensure that our employees are well versed and practiced in our emergency arrangements we stage several ‘site emergency exercises’ throughout the year, some of which are observed by our Regulators.

Whilst it is reassuring to know that such robust arrangements are in place it must be said that the level of hazard related to LLW Repository operations is such that significant off-site consequence from an event is extremely unlikely.