5.1 Licensee’s responsibility

Before a nuclear power station can be constructed or operated within the UK, the prospective operator must obtain the agreement of the Health and Safety Executive. The agreement is given in the form of a

Site Licence as required by the Nuclear Installations Act (1965) as amended. This makes the licensee di­rectly responsible for ensuring that plant is operated in such a way that the risk to the public of death or injury from nuclear hazard is kept within acceptable and previously agreed limits. The licensee is also re­quired to ensure that the operators are not unduly exposed to radiation. He must maintain a record of the radiation history of every classified worker and retain that record for the whole of the workforce. The licensee must prepare plans for dealing with ac­cidents which safeguard the population and involve the organisation of police, ambulance and fire service. These requirements are additional to those aspects covered in the Health and Safety Acts.