Manchester University has been ordered to stop the transportation of all radioactive material by a watchdog. The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has served a Prohibition Notice on the University, which requires it to cease the transport pending administrative improvements.
ONR issued the Prohibition Notice following a routine transport compliance inspection of the University’s Oxford Road premises on April 6th this year. The University infrequently transports very small quantities of radioactive materials to approved partner institutions for academic research and analysis.
In a statement, the ONR said: "All radioactive material must be handled appropriately so important radiation risk assessments and other procedures must be adhered to by facilities that transport these materials. ONR’s inspection highlighted administrative shortfalls which resulted in the serving of the Prohibition Notice."
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The University says it is taking the matter "very seriously" and has voluntarily ceased transportation of radioactive material. The ONR says there was no harm to students, staff, the public or the environment as a result of the shortfalls identified.
Inspectors found that the university’s transport radiation risk assessment did not fully meet ONR’s recently revised (February 2022) transport radiation risk assessment guidance and concluded its processes for responding to an accident involving the transport of radioactive material were incomplete. ONR will engage with the university to make sure that adequate progress is made to achieve compliance with the notice.
A spokesperson for ONR said: “Our inspection found there were potential risks involving radioactive material consigned by the university, and consequently we have issued the Prohibition Notice to cease transport of radioactive material until such time as these contraventions are remedied.”
The Prohibition Notice has been issued under The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17) Regulation 8 ‘Radiation Risk Assessments’ and Regulation 13 ‘Contingency Plans’ and the Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009 (As Amended) (CDG09) Regulation 2 ‘Evaluation and risk assessment’ and Regulation 3 ‘Emergency Plans’.
A University spokesperson said: “The University takes this matter very seriously and has voluntarily ceased arranging the transport of a limited amounts of low risk radioactive material until appropriate measures have been taken.
“In line with the ONR inspector’s report, we are currently revising and amending procedures and process controls where appropriate for this specific activity. The activities undertaken by the University are very low risk and have not caused any harm. It does not affect the wider work of the University regulated by ONR.”
