The nuclear site licence places a specific responsibility on the licensee to appoint duly authorised persons for covering identified areas of responsibility. The station manager has the delegated authority to make the appointments and will ensure that the appointee has the necessary qualifications and experience to carry out the function for which he has been ap­pointed. Details of all duly authorised persons’ train­ing, qualifications and experience are entered on a duly authorised persons’ (DAP) list which is sent to the Nil by HSD. The list is formally updated every three months and renewed biennially. The list of duly au­thorised persons is displayed on the nuclear site.

Duly authorised persons are those who control and supervise the plant and who authorise the maintenance of safety mechanisms. Under the CEGB Safety Rules (Radiological) authorisations are required for senior authorised persons (Nuclear Radiations), competent persons (Nuclear Radiations) and the accredited health physicists.

The senior authorised person (NR) is appointed, in writing, after a formal interview by a panel com­prised of senior station management and an inde­pendent manager from HSD. The SAP (NR) has full responsibility for radiological safety and the sole au­thority to prepare, issue, revalidate and cancel radio­logical control documents. SAP (NR)s are responsible (among other things) for controlling and co-ordinating the radiological safety of work on the plant and are appointed from the operations staff; being a shift manager, assistant charge engineer or, in some cases, assistant engineers (operations). Other grades of opera­tions staff are appointed as considered necessary to maintain adequate control of the safety of personnel and plant.

The accredited health physicist, is also appointed after formal interview by senior station management and an independent manager from HSD, and is a person suitably qualified by knowledge and experience to assess and advise on the health physics precautions necessary for radiological work on the nuclear licence site. After being appointed in writing, the person can sign and issue health physics certificates which provide detailed professional advice on radiological protection. Health physics certificates are issued at the request of a SAP (NR) and provide powerful advice on the necessary precautions to be taken prior to the work in radiation and contamination zones. It is, however, the ultimate responsibility of the SAP (NR) issuing the safety documentation to decide to implement such advice.

The competent person (Nuclear Radiations) is a person who can implement the requirements of a radiological control document and has been appointed in writing by the location manager to receive and clear such documents.