Security and emergency arrangements at Dounreay
Information on the security and emergency planning arrangements at Dounreay.
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Security
The nature of the materials and hazards at Dounreay, a division of Magnox Limited, means that the security of the site is a vitally important part of the decommissioning process.
The site is required to comply with the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR 2003) and site specific security plans.
- Security at the site is regulated by the ONR (Civil Nuclear Security).
- Policing at the site is provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.
Emergency arrangements
Emergency planning is an important part of the defence-in-depth approach to managing the site’s radiological and chemical hazards.
The site has well-rehearsed emergency arrangements to safeguard the workforce, public and the environment in the event of an emergency.
The site’s emergency plan is an important part of the safety arrangements, and describes how the site will respond to an emergency. It is essential under national regulations and the arrangements are regulated by ONR.
Exercises are held routinely to demonstrate the adequacy of these arrangements and enable key personnel to practice and rehearse their roles.
In the event of an emergency at Dounreay, Police Scotland will inform the public about what is happening and any precautions that may be necessary. Police Scotland also takes the lead in the release of information to the media during an emergency.
Other external organisations will have key roles to perform in an emergency at Dounreay. The response of those organisations is summarised in the off-site emergency plan produced by the Highland Council. The off-site emergency plan, containing advice on what to do in the event of an emergency at Dounreay or Vulcan can be viewed here together with a handbook for residents living in the emergency planning zone.
Dounreay has a duty press officer on call 24 hours a day in support of the site’s emergency arrangements.
The emergency planning zone is the area around the site where public protection measures are planned in detail in advance. The boundary reflects the worst-case radiation emergency that can be reasonably foreseen, resulting in potential exposure of the public to 5 millisieverts or more of radiation (the average annual exposure to a member of the public from all sources of radiation is 2.2 millisieverts).
The Dounreay emergency plan and the Highland Council off-site plan were revised in 2020 to meet the requirements of the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR).
Updates to this page
Last updated 3 April 2023 + show all updates
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Text updated - DSRL now Dounreay, a division of Magnox Limited.
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Dounreay Emergency Plan updated
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First published.