Executive summary
Date(s) of inspection: August 2024
Aim of inspection
ONR fire life safety inspectors are scheduled to visit the GE-Healthcare (Amersham) site on Tuesday 6 August 2024 for the purpose of conducting the following intervention:
- Compliance inspection Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The inspection will focus on the site’s fire safety arrangements and associated contractor works, however, may focus on specific areas as necessary. Access arrangements are therefore requested for general site access.
In support of the above inspection two new starters from the fire safety team will be in attendance. This is part of the onboarding, learning & development programme and will not be chargeable to the licensee.
The following interactions are requested during this intervention:
- Meeting to discuss fire safety management on site and pre-audit material
- Meeting with engineering to discuss fire systems (as applicable – fire detection, fire suppression, smoke control etc).
- Meeting with engineering to discuss passive structures relevant to fire safety (as applicable – compartment lines, fire dampers, penetration seals, fire doors etc).
- Meeting with contractors’ manager responsible for fire risk assessments
- Opportunity to meet with safety reps if they wish.
- Walkdown of areas relevant to fire risk assessments.
The following additional arrangements are requested:
- Site access for the inspectors named above.
- Opportunity to review inspection, maintenance, and training records. Records to be made available.
- Please make available examples of fire safety related learning from experience/OPEX (recent examples preferred).
- Access to radiologically controlled areas (if required) for the inspectors named above.
Information/ document request. We will request information in two stages- firstly overarching information and then, once we have reviewed that, more specific material ( for example -specific Fire Risk Assessments).
Initial information request:
- Overview of management arrangements for Fire Life Safety on site.
- Overview of nuclear fire safety case.
- List of site Fire Risk Assessments including contractor Fire Risk Assessments.
- Detail of assurance/ cooperation/ coordination arrangements between Contractors and site.
- Detail of management arrangements regarding obsolescence of fire systems on site.
- Site Fire Plans.
Subject(s) of inspection
- Fire (Life Safety) Compliance Inspection - Rating: Green
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
A fire safety inspection was carried out at GE Healthcare (Amersham) (GEHCA) under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) on Tuesday 6 August 2024.
The majority of the site is undergoing a progressive decommissioning programme, including decontamination, demolition and remediation alongside processing and storage of ‘active’ waste. The main fire safety challenges were keeping up with the ongoing changes throughout. However the site management demonstrated a positive culture of openness, with safety treated as a priority.
The primary purpose of this inspection was to assess general fire safety management systems and the associated implementation of fire safety provisions on site, and to confirm that compliance with the requirements of the FSO is being achieved.
Prior to the inspection documented information was requested from the duty holder. I sampled fire risk assessments for buildings B22, B29 and B31, maintenance and testing records for fire safety related systems and other fire safety related information.
The inspection comprised of:
- Meetings with senior managers and subject area experts, with a particular focus on a presentation from GE Healthcare outlining their Life Fire Safety Management Systems.
- Discussion around unwanted fire signals and GE Healthcare investigation findings and trending for learning opportunities.
- A walk down of selected, risk appropriate areas of the site was carried out to verify the implementation of fire safety management systems.
Overall, I am content the licensee demonstrated an adequate understanding of the duties required under the FSO, and that arrangements for life fire safety were suitable and sufficient and therefore I rate the inspection on the compliance against the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as GREEN .
However one area for further investigation was the consideration of compartmentation to areas which required protection for both nuclear and conventional fire safety requirements. It was found that the status and condition of fire resisting compartmentation is not fully understood by the duty holder in some areas. I will therefore raise a Level 4 Regulatory issue to address this.
Conclusion
Overall, I am content that the licensee demonstrated an adequate understanding of the duties required under the FSO, and that arrangements for life fire safety were suitable and sufficient.
Areas for consideration/ improvement were identified and these have been raised as observations/advice. A Level 4 Regulatory Issue has also been raised regarding compartmentation.
Therefore, I rate the inspection on the compliance against the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as GREEN.
This rating is in line with the established ONR guidance as follows:
- Relevant good practice generally met, or minor shortfalls identified, when compared with appropriate benchmarks.
- Relatively minor, if any, deficiencies in compliance arrangements.
- No significant shortfalls identified in the delivery of safety, safeguards or security functions.