SAFEGROUNDS

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SAFEGROUNDS

• SAFety and Environmental Guidance for the
  Remediation of UK Nuclear and Defence Sites

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SAFEGROUNDS background

• During 1998 the network begun as increased
  openness was emerging in the nuclear sector
• Industry committees were discussing difficulties
  in estimating and managing the liabilities posed
  by contaminated land on nuclear sites
• Need identified for best practice guidance
• CIRIA was invited to share its long experience of
  developing consensus-based guidance production
• Preparation of Site Characterisation guidance in
  2000 using trail-blazing stakeholder events
  convened by the Environment Council

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Purpose of Presentation

• provides awareness of SAFEGROUNDS
• gives overview of guidance documents

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SAFEGROUNDS mission

• 'A forum for developing and disseminating good
  practice guidance on the management of
  radioactively and chemically contaminated land on
  nuclear and defence sites in the UK.'

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SAFEGROUNDS aims

• Maintain and promote SAFEGROUNDS guidance
• Provide a forum for debate and encourage
  stakeholder participation
• Provide information on policy, regulatory and
  technical issues
• Develop further SAFEGROUNDS supporting documents

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SAFEGROUNDS Learning Network

• reflects the need for broader debate
• oversees good practice guidance preparation
• helps drive its implementation
• raises awareness and guidance take-up
• annual programme of activities built around the
  mission and aims
• e-newsletter three times a year

www.safegrounds.com
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SAFEGROUNDS Network Members

• non-governmental organisations
• regulators and other Government agencies
• nuclear liability owners including NDA
• MoD including Defence Estates
• nuclear site licensees
• community based organisations
• contractors and consultants
• local authorities
• campaign groups
• independent academics, researchers and analysts

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SAFEGROUNDS Project Steering Group members
AWE British Energy Defence Estates Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd Environment Agency Gloucester City Council Health Safety Executive Health Protection Agency Low Level Radiation Campaign Magnox North Ltd Magnox South Ltd National Nuclear Laboratory North Highland College Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Oxfordshire County Council Parents Concerned About Hinkley Research Sites Restoration Ltd Sellafield Ltd Scottish Environment Protection Agency Scottish Executive Sellafield Ltd UK Nuclear Free Local Authorities University of Warwick
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SAFEGROUNDS Key Principles

• five key principles for the management of all
  contaminated land on nuclear and defence sites
• integral part of the SAFEGROUNDS guidance
  documents
• established through a consultative process
• they are non-overlapping and complementary
• they should be applied together, and form a
  central part of the SAFEGROUNDS ethos

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SAFEGROUNDS Key Principle 1

• Protection of people and the environment
• The fundamental objective of managing
  contaminated land on nuclear-licensed sites and
  defence sites should be to achieve a high level
  of protection of people and the environment, now
  and in the future.

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SAFEGROUNDS Key Principle 2

• Stakeholder involvement
• Site owners/operators should involve
  stakeholders in the management of contaminated
  land, particularly to inform decision-making.

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SAFEGROUNDS Key Principle 3

• Identifying the preferred land management option
• Site owners/operators should identify their
  preferred management option (or options) for
  contaminated land by carrying out a
  comprehensive, systematic and consultative
  assessment of all possible options. The
  assessment should be based on a range of factors
  that are of concern to stakeholders, including
  health, safety and environmental impacts and
  various technical, social and financial factors.

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SAFEGROUNDS Key Principle 4

• Immediate action
• Site owners/operators should assess both
  potential and known areas of land contamination
  and where appropriate implement a prioritised
  programme of investigation and any appropriate
  monitoring. On confirmation of areas of land
  contamination being present, control measures
  should be instigated until an appropriate
  management option has been identified and
  implemented.

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SAFEGROUNDS Key Principle 5

• Record-keeping
• Site owners/operators should make comprehensive
  records of the nature and extent of
  contamination, the process of deciding on the
  management option for the contaminated land and
  the findings during the implementation and
  validation of the option. All records should be
  kept and updated as necessary.

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SAFEGROUNDS

• GUIDANCE

www.safegrounds.com
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Hierarchy of guidance documents
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New for 2009
Top level document

• SAFEGROUNDS Approach to Managing Contaminated
  Land on Nuclear-Licensed and Defence Sites An
  Introduction

AUDIENCE all stakeholders
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An Introduction document - Scope

• Non-technical
• Introduction to principles and process
• Stakeholder involvement
• Involvement opportunities
• Contacts and information
• Glossary and acronyms

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SAFEGROUNDS

• LAND MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE

Version 2, 2009
AUDIENCE primarily decision-making stakeholders
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Land Management Guidance (LMG)

• This guidance sets out an approach and process
  for land quality management on nuclear-licensed
  sites where legacy radioactive, and/or mixed
  radioactive and non-radioactive contamination is
  present, and those defence sites on which there
  is legacy radioactive contamination and/or mixed
  radioactive and non-radioactive contamination.

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LMG Status

• The guidance represents good practice in
  accordance with regulatory requirements, but does
  not in itself ensure regulatory compliance. It is
  not binding on site owners/operators and has no
  legal standing. Site specific requirements should
  always be discussed and negotiated with the
  appropriate regulators.

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LMG Scope

• Part 1 - introduction, scope, structure and
  definitions.
• Part 2 - expands on SAFEGROUNDS Key Principles
• Part 3 contains an overview of the process of
  managing contaminated land and further guidance
  on specific areas of the process related to the
  Decision Flow Diagram.
• Part 4 contains a list of references, and a
  glossary, including a key to acronyms.

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Summary Decision Flow Diagram
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SAFEGROUNDS

• Good Practice Guidance for Site Characterisation

Version 2, Updated 2009
AUDIENCE primarily technical
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Good Practice Guidance for Site Characterisation
Scope 1

• types and characteristics of contaminated land
  commonly encountered
• key health, safety, security and environment
  issues in site investigations
• reasons and aims for carrying out investigation
  of potentially contaminated land
• good practice planning of site investigations for
  a systematic approach

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Good Practice Guidance for Site Characterisation
Scope 2

• available site characterisation methods
• issues associated with radioactive waste arising
  from characterisation, and the transport of
  radioactive samples
• how stakeholders should be involved at the
  various stages of characterisation work
• how site characterisation works should be
  recorded
• signposts and references to other relevant
  documentation

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SAFEGROUNDS

• Guide to the Comparison of Contaminated Land
  Management Options

New for 2009
AUDIENCE primarily technical
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Guide to the Comparison of Contaminated Land
Management Options - Scope

• Introduction
• Guidelines
• Methods
• Selecting a method
• Appendix of examples

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SAFEGROUNDS

• Good Practice Guidance for Land Quality Records
  Management for Nuclear-licensed and Defence Sites

First issued 2007
AUDIENCE primarily technical
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Guidance for Land Quality Records Management -
Scope

• why it is important that land quality information
  should be recorded (drivers, existing
  initiatives, regulatory requirements and site
  owner requirements)
• what land quality information should be recorded
  and in what form (introduction of Land Quality
  File)
• how a record keeping system should be set up and
  maintained (management, organisation, active
  records in physical or electronic form,
  archiving, GIS)

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SAFEGROUNDS

• The Regulatory Framework for Contaminated Land on
  Nuclear-licensed Sites Defence Sites

Updated 2007 (v5) 2009 (v6)
AUDIENCE all stakeholders
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Regulatory Framework Paper v5

• sites included
• summary of regulatory regimes, including devolved
  administrations
• definitions of radioactively and
  non-radioactively contaminated land
• management of contaminated land under the
  different regulatory regimes for different types
  of site
• Possible future developments

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SAFEGROUNDS

• Community Stakeholder Involvement Paper

First issued 2005, UNDER REVIEW
AUDIENCE all stakeholders
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SAFEGROUNDS

• Assessment of Health Environmental Risks of
  Management Options for Contaminated Land

First issued 2005, UNDER REVIEW
AUDIENCE all stakeholders
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SAFEGROUNDS

• SAFety and Environmental Guidance for the
  Remediation of UK Nuclear and Defence Sites

www.safegrounds.com