Magnox Electric Ltd

We believe that the UK nuclear industry is one of the toughest industrial regimes in the world. Developed over 60 years of managing and operating plants within stringent regulations, we have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the UK regulatory environment. It is our aim to achieve the highest standards of operational performance through continuous improvement and compliance with the authorisations and requirements laid down by our regulators.

Nuclear Installations Inspectorate

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is split into several inspectorates where specialist knowledge, one being the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII). The NII has site inspectors at all UK installations and has the power to inspect and take enforcement action against any site deemed to be unsafe.

Under UK law (the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974) employers are responsible for ensuring the safety of their workers and the public. This is just as true for a nuclear site as for any other. This responsibility is reinforced for nuclear installations by the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 (NIA). Under the relevant statutory provisions of the NIA, a site cannot have nuclear plant on it unless the user has been granted a site licence by the HSE.

EHS&Q Inspectors

Every UK site has a full-time Environment Health Safety & Quality (EHS&Q) Inspector with the task of mirroring the NII to ensure that we comply with all necessary legislation. They also offer advice on compliance and safety issues. They act as the internal critical eye and report directly to Magnox Electric Ltd's senior management and to other agencies if an event occurs at any site/station.

Environment Agency

The Environment Agency was set up by the 1995 Environment Act. As a non-departmental public body, its main sponsors are the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG).

As the most important environmental regulator in England and Wales, the Agency's principal role is to protect and enhance the environment and to contribute towards sustainable development. Its work involves:

Authorisations
The Agency issues various permits, licences, consents and registrations. These range from major industrial authorisations, such as a licence to operate a nuclear power station or take water from rivers, down to recreational ones such as fishing licences.

Inspection and monitoring
The Agency regularly inspects and monitors licence-holders to make sure that the standards they have set are being met.

Each UK site has an Environment Agency inspector who works closely with personnel on a wide range of environmental management plans.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

SEPA is responsible for the protection of the environment in Scotland. Its task is to protect the land, air and water - the core elements that form the fabric of our environment. They do this in partnership with others and in a way that enables Scotland to sustain a strong and diverse economy.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA)

The FSA was created in April 2000, assuming responsibility for food safety issues originally controlled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF).

The FSA measures radioactivity in the environment around nuclear installations, as well as monitoring local herbage, milk and seafood on behalf of the Environment Agency.

Office for Civil Nuclear Security

The Department for Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) regulates security arrangements for the protection of nuclear and radioactive material on licensed civil nuclear sites, as well as sensitive nuclear information, under the new Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003.

International Atomic Energy Agency

The IAEA was set up as the world's ‘Atoms for Peace’ organisation in 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies.

Euratom

The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) is an international organisation composed of the members of the European Union. It was established in 1957 by a second treaty of Rome. The members pledged themselves to the common development of Europe's nuclear energy resources by coordinating their nuclear research and development programmes and by permitting the free movement of nuclear raw materials, equipment, investment capital, and specialists within the community. Euratom is vested with wide powers, including the right to conclude contracts, obtain raw materials and establish standards to protect workers and the general population against the dangers of radiation.