Strategy

The HPA strategy is to have one emergency response plan for staff to follow, no matter what the emergency is or where it occurs. The HPA Nuclear Emergency Plan is designed to interface with national arrangements and is regularly reviewed and exercised. The key elements are the following.

Chilton Emergency Operations Centre (CEOC)

If necessary, the Director of the HPA Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE) would activate the full implementation of the emergency plan and the staffing of the Chilton Emergency Operations Centre. The CEOC would:

• provide support to senior HPA advisers at local and national centres
• gather information about the accident
• collate and interpret monitoring data
• conduct radiological assessments
• co-ordinate activities of the HPA and other monitoring teams.

If information about an emergency did not justify implementation of the full facilities, the plan provides for a core set of arrangements involving a few members of staff monitoring the situation, gathering information and advising the Director of CRCE.

HPA advisers

The HPA would send advisers and support teams to local and national centres. A media spokesperson would be sent to the relevant media briefing centre.

Support to the Department of Health (DH)

The HPA would assist by sending a scientific liaison officer to the DH, submitting personal monitoring data (radionuclides in people and contamination of skin) from National Health Service medical physics departments to RIMNET (the government's Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network) and interpreting data and performing radiological assessments.

Exercise participation

Each year, substantial effort is directed to planning, reviewing and exercising the HPA strategy for emergency response. Exercise participation ensures support to government departments, maintains staff expertise and makes sure that HPA advice is available to other organisations.

Last reviewed: 19 September 2008