Executive summary
Date(s) of inspection:
September 2025
Aim of inspection
In compliance with licence condition 11 (emergency arrangements), clause 5, BAE Systems Marine Limited (BAESML) undertakes an emergency arrangements demonstration exercise on an annual basis. This was a planned intervention to evaluate the adequacy of implementation of BAESML's LC11 arrangements through observation of the demonstration exercise, INDIGO 25.
Subject(s) of inspection
- LC11 - Emergency arrangements - Rating: Green
- REPPIR - Rating: Not rated
Key findings, inspector's opinions and reasons for judgement made
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has undertaken an inspection to assess BAESML’s implementation of its LC11 - emergency arrangements.
The intervention was undertaken and rated against published guidance on ONR’s expectations, as described in the technical inspection guides (TIGs), which can be found at Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) Compliance inspection - Technical inspection guides. Specifically, this included NS-INSP-GD-011 and ONR-INSP-GD-064.
Based on the evidence sampled at the time of the intervention against BAESML’s LC 11 arrangements and ONR’s guidance, I consider that BAESML did adequately demonstrate its arrangements across the areas sampled. I was satisfied that the exercise scenario was realistic and sufficiently challenging.
It is my opinion that the Level 1 emergency exercise did provide adequate evidence of implementation of the established emergency arrangements on the Barrow site, in respect of LC 11. A Green rating is therefore considered appropriate, in accordance with ONR Guide ONR-INSP-GD-064
Conclusion
ONR inspectors made observations at the Nuclear Emergency Headquarters (NEHQ) (tactical & operational), Exclusion Zone Reception Centre (EZRC), and technical cell, as well as observations of the deployed teams.
The observations from ONR were fed back to BAESML as part of the "hot wash-up" meeting along with the judgement. This judgement concluded that, based on the observations on the day, the demonstration did adequately demonstrate the sites emergency arrangements.