The U.K. Office for Nuclear Regulation was established as a public corporation under the Energy Act of 2013 as the “independent, statutory regulator of nuclear safety, nuclear security, and conventional health and safety at nuclear sites in the UK.” (This would seem a bit tardy due to the fact that the first commercial power reactor in the world went into operation in the U.K. in 1965.)
       The ONR just presented its latest Corporate Plan to Parliament. In the new Plan, it lists ten top priorities for 201802019. Included in the plan is the development of a new regime to satisfy safety requirements following the decision of Parliament to exit Euroatom to which it has been a signatory. Also included are measures to support the “implementation of a new emergency planning arrangements as a result of the Basic Standards Directive.”
       The U.K. government stated in March that it would work closely with the ONR to make sure that it will be able to shoulder the responsibilities necessary to meet the U.K.’s mandated future domestic civil safeguards. This is necessary because the international standards and nuclear non-proliferation standards of the Euratom rules and regulation will no longer apply to the U.K. in the near future. The U.K. is planning on leaving the European Atomic Energy Community commonly referred to as the Euratom Treaty upon its exit from the European Union in March on 2019.
      The ONR Plan says, “We regulate the safety and security of a significant nuclear legacy, radioactive waste, an ageing reactor fleet, ageing defense facilities, nuclear new build and the transport of civil radioactive materials. We also regulate conventional health and safety, including fire safety, on licensed nuclear sites and provide regulatory oversight for the transportation of civil nuclear materials. We also support the UK in meeting its safeguards obligations through facilitating the current activities of Euratom.”
       “Following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, we will continue to work with government to meet the UK’s continuing commitments (for example, the Nuclear Safety Directive) and identify and plan for changes required to implement revised government policy. We will support the UK government in managing a smooth exit from Euratom, particularly in relation to nuclear safeguards arrangements and helping ensure the UK’s continued compliance with international standards.”
       The Plan calls for setting up an U.K. system to account for and control nuclear materials; helping to develop new radiation emergency preparedness and public information regulations to amend the transportation regulations to support implementation of the Euratom Basic Safety Standards Directive of 2013; and, finally, implementing the NERA6 report, “The Economic Impact of ONR safety regulations”, action plant as agreed upon by its regulatory management team.
       The ONR said that it will work with U.K. safeguard dutyholders and the inspectorates of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Euratom in order to continue safeguards compliance in the U.K. (up to March 2019). It will forward reports to Euratom and the IAEA as required about the U.K.’s obligations under the Nuclear Cooperation Agreements.
        “The ONR will continue to support UK exit from Euratom, including through expert input to negotiations (e.g. to establish new trade agreements) and legislation (for example, to the Nuclear Safeguards Bill and development of nuclear safeguards regulations); establishing additional safeguards capability; and delivering a UK SSAC by 29 March 2019 that meets UK international reporting obligations.”
       The ONR’s top ten organizational priorities includes plans to: “strengthen and improve engagement with stakeholders; enhance succession planning, leadership development and improve capability and capacity through recruiting and developing staff; simplify line management structures to provide more effective leadership and free up inspector time to perform regulatory duties; develop an internal improvement project to focus on leadership and improve ONR’s culture; improve cyber security and information governance; modernise its IT systems; and update and improve knowledge management and business processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness throughout ONR.”

Ambient office  = 74 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 117 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 121 nanosieverts per hour

Beefsteak tomato from Central Market = 92 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 90 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 75 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office  =  81 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 135 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 137 nanosieverts per hour

Bartlett pear from Central Market = 133 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 58 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 52 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient office  =77 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 124 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 123 nanosieverts per hour

Beefsteak tomato from Central Market = 125 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 73 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 69 nanosieverts per hour

Dover sole – Caught in USA = 100 nanosieverts per hour

       Westinghouse, a major U.S. corporation, owns and operates the Bluff Road nuclear fuel fabrication facility near Columbia, South Carolina. The plant was built in 1969 and employs about one thousand people. It is one of a few facilities in the U.S. that makes nuclear fuel assemblies for commercial nuclear power plants.
        In 2016, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors discovered that unsafe levels of uranium had built up in an air pollution control device at the facility. The buildup of the uranium could have led to the release of a small burst of radiation that would have endangered nearby workers. Following the discovery of the uranium buildup, the NRC has been carrying out more inspections and more atomic-safety violations have been found there.
       In 2017, there were two minor violations at the plant including the failure of a safety system that was supposed to prevent the accumulation of water in ducts. More recently, Westinghouse failed to provide documentation of its efforts to prevent a small radiation burst. They did not properly study and explain exactly how they would ensure that radioactive, fifty five gallon drums did not react with nuclear materials leaking from a solvent extraction area. According to the NRC, the violation was a relatively low one as far as safety was concerned but it is still an indication that the NRC should have watch the operations at the plant closely.

      Westinghouse is attempting to renew its NRC operating license. Spokesmen for Westinghouse have admitted that the company had inadequate safety controls in 2016 and that it has worked to improve them since then. According to Mike Annacone, the factory vice president who was assigned to correct the problems, significant progress has been made. Workers are encouraged to report any potential safety problems and are rewarded for their reporting. The company has also upgraded equipment and has made double-checks a routine part of procedures at the plant.
       Annacone said “I have not had a (financial need) that was not supported by our company. That’s important. Our company has been going through bankruptcy and recovering from bankruptcy, and through that entire time period, we’ve been fully supported with what we need to move the plant forward.”
       A Westinghouse spokeswoman said, “We are instilling values and improving processes in our organization, intently focused on effectively monitoring our own performance, and promptly self-identifying and correcting problems. Our goal is to find and fix issues before they become significant or before others have to identify them. When problems do self-reveal or are identified by others, we critically assess why we did not find that issue and focus on not only fixing the problem but fixing why we did not self-identify it.”
       The NRC does believe that Westinghouse has made the facility safer for the one thousand workers and the public who live nearby. An NRC inspector said, “We’re seeing good behavior, and their management is reinforcing that. It’s going to take a little time, improving the safety culture, but they are on the right path.”

Ambient office  = 85 nanosieverts per hour

Ambient outside = 154 nanosieverts per hour

Soil exposed to rain water = 150 nanosieverts per hour

Orange carrot from Central Market = 102 nanosieverts per hour

Tap water = 70 nanosieverts per hour

Filter water = 56 nanosieverts per hour