Rail mishap

In the event of a ‘Nuclear Flask Emergency’ involving a flask in transit by rail, British Rail will notify the ‘Alerting Officer’, who is a CEGB officer on duty at the National Control Centre.

The alerting officer will contact an appropriate nu­clear establishment for specialist advisers to attend the mishap, nominate a nuclear establishment to co­ordinate the operation and initiate the CEGB HQ notification scheme. The nominated station will gen­erally be a CEGB nuclear power station but may also be BNF Sellafield. A senior member of staff at the nominated station will act as ‘Coordinating Officer’ and will arrange for the duty health physicist to at­tend the scene of the mishap immediately. The ‘Flask Emergency Team’, consisting of health physics and fuel handling personnel, will follow as soon as possi­ble. At the scene of the emergency the duty health physicist and the flask emergency team will:

• Liaise with the British Rail Mishap Officer and officers in charge of the emergency services.

• Arrange controlled access to the flask and wagon.

• Carry out radiological surveys including air sampling.

• Monitor personnel involved in the mishap and institute decontamination measures as required.

• Check the internal pressure of the flask and, if necessary, carry out venting procedures.

• Give advice on any radiological precautions neces­sary during procedures to recover the flask and if necessary during its journey to a safe location.

• Give frequent situation reports to the coordinating officer, the British Rail Mishap Officer and the officers in charge of the emergency services.

British Rail will provide breakdown facilities for any righting and recovery of a displaced flask that may be required.

The coordinating officer will, in consultation with the duty health physicist, decide when the emergency is at an end and will notify all parties concerned.

Road mishap

It is assumed that any flask mishap during road transit will occur en-route either from or to a rail head. The mishap will be reported by the vehicle crew to the dispatching or receiving establishment which will as­sume the role of nominated station. The coordinating officer of the nominated station will decide on the category of the mishap, and arrange for the duty health physicist and the flask emergency team to at­tend the scene of the accident.

The coordinating officer will also:

• Inform the local police and advise that NAIR Stage 2 assistance is not required.

• Inform the local fire brigade, if necessary.

• Inform the alerting officer at National Control and request initiation of the CEGB HQ notification scheme.

• After consultation with the duty health physicist advise the alerting officer when the mishap has ended.

If the flask sealing is impaired, the following organisa­tions should be informed by the coordinating officer:

• Radioactive Materials Transport Division, Depart­ment of Transport.

• Department of the Environment,

• The relevant local authority.

• The relevant local water authority.

• The Chief Constable for the police area in which the mishap has occurred.

The duty health physicist and the flask emergency team will, at the scene of the mishap: [42]

• Carry out radiological surveys including air sam­pling.

• Monitor personnel involved in the mishap and institute decontamination measures as required.

• Check the internal pressure of the flask and, if necessary, carry out venting procedures.

• Give frequent situation reports to the coordinating officer and officers in charge of the emergency services.

• Give advice on any radiological precautions ne­cessary during the recovery of the flask and its delivery to the nominated station.

6.2.1 External health physics support

In certain circumstances a health physicist from an agency, i. e., a location other than a CEGB nuclear power station, e. g., AEE Winfrith, BNF Springfields, Rolls Royce Ltd., may be called to attend by the alerting officer if there is a possibility that this health physicist will reach the scene of the accident well before the duty health physicist from the nominated station. Additional health physics support is also avail­able in the Greater London Area and may be called upon to supplement the initial response at the dis­cretion of the coordinating officer.