Through sustained and proactive work, we’ve now returned to Lower Tier Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) status, that makes Sellafield safer and reduces hazards at source. It also protects our people, the public and the environment.
The end of Thorp and Magnox reprocessing created an opportunity to rationalise chemicals. This meant the site no longer required some bulk chemicals and could reduce nitric acid stocks.
What is COMAH and how we’ve reduced our risks
The Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 2015 are about preventing major accidents involving dangerous substances or limiting their impact.
For us, one of the most effective ways to do this is by holding less hazardous material on site.
In 2017, Sellafield became an Upper Tier COMAH site due to changes in the hazard classification for nitric acid. Our operations hadn’t changed, but the new requirements lowered the amount we could hold before triggering Upper Tier status.
This meant we had to
- Produce and maintain a large, complex safety report
- Organise an off-site emergency plan for chemical events
- Have a higher level of regulatory scrutiny
Since then, we’ve taken action to reduce major chemical hazards across the site including
- Reducing the amount of nitric acid needed for our operations from more than 1,280 tonnes to less than 200 tonnes.
- Removing large quantities of other toxic substances. Such as sodium nitrite, odourless kerosene, hydroxylamine and liquid oxygen.
These actions have reduced the amount of hazardous chemical substances we hold. It has also reduced our major accident risk.
Pam Duerden, safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) director, said
Reducing hazard at source is one of the most effective ways to manage risk.
Teams from SHEQ and Operations at Sellafield have worked together to reduce bulk nitric acid storage, and remove other redundant chemicals.
This change reflects real, lasting hazard reduction, not only a change in classification of the site under COMAH.
After confirming that our safety controls remained effective, we notified the COMAH Competent Authority that we have returned to Lower Tier status.
This change means we no longer need to produce an off-site chemical emergency plan, as we have reduced the potential for off-site consequences from a chemical event, due to a reduced inventory of the chemicals we now hold.
It also gives us savings as it allows us to redirect resources to other high-hazard reduction activities.
Meeting our commitments
Teams who look after our chemicals will continue to do so. We still have chemicals that we need to support our operations that we need to manage and control.
We’ll also continue to review the chemicals we hold, and make sure what remains is necessary and well controlled. This work supports safer operations now and leaves a safer site for the future.