UK nuclear arms maker rapped over safety breaches
Iran Press TV
Sat Oct 4, 2014 4:26PM GMT
A British nuclear weapons maker has been slammed for breaching safety standards for disposal of hazardous radioactive material.
Britain's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA) strongly censured private nuclear arms manufacturer, the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), which runs the country's Trident nuclear facilities for the UK's Ministry of Defense (MoD), citing its poor management of hazardous waste, The Guardian reported Friday.
AWE builds nuclear weapons for the MoD and runs bases in Aldermaston and Berkshire.
The EA issued an official warning to AWE after the nuclear arms maker failed to fill key staff positions to monitor vital waste disposal practices, according to the report.
"At the time of the EA inspection candidates were identified to fill the posts, but the security requirements have led to recruitment delays. In the interim, existing staff are covering the roles," said an AWE representative.
Meanwhile, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) has described AWE's nuclear safety violations as "outrageous."
"Not filling key posts which are essential to ensure hazardous waste is dealt with properly is unacceptable," said the CND's General Secretary Kate Hudson, as quoted in an RT report.
Hudson further underlined that the recent citations of breaches by the British atomic arms maker represent "just a fraction" of the "litany of failures at AWE over recent years."
"The Trident nuclear weapons system is supposedly for our safety and security; but if the operation at AWE is anything to go by, it simply represents a ticking time bomb of catastrophic proportions," She warned.
MFB/HJL/SS
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