Canadian Nuclear Laboratories fined for failing to comply with terms of act

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This article was published 13/11/2023 (693 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former nuclear research facility slated for decommissioning continues to receive a failing grade for its fire safety procedures, months after the federal government ordered a halt of operations at the site.

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has fined Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) $14,860 for failing to comply with the terms of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act.

According to a violation notice dated Oct. 13, CNL, which is contracted to oversee operations at the former Whiteshell Laboratories, has repeatedly failed to properly train and maintain the qualifications of on-site firefighters.

The fine comes after operations at the nuclear site (located in Pinawa roughly 110 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg) were paused around April 24, when a newly hired fire-safety planner highlighted several deficiencies within the fire safety plan.

A review discovered the facility failed to maintain enough fire extinguishers, protective equipment and personnel to staff its firefighting complement.

CNL took several rectifying measures in the wake of the forced pause, including hiring more than a dozen new firefighters.

However, when the safety commission reviewed the organization’s employment and training records in August, it found CNL failed to keep records of pre-employment medical assessments for 10 members of the bolstered fire crew.

The commission also discovered eight annual medical assessments for existing Whiteshell firefighters had lapsed during the same period.

While the contraventions are mostly clerical, they highlight a longstanding inability of site officials to organize and maintain complete records.

“The non-compliances identified in August 2023 indicate that Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Ltd.’s oversight of its fire safety program continues to be deficient and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Ltd. is not complying with the requirements in its management system,” Kavita Murthy, director general of the Directorate of Nuclear Cycle and Facilities Regulation, wrote in the notice.

“Based on my review of this matter, I am of the opinion that an administrative monetary penalty will deter recurrence of the above violation and promote future compliance with CNSC regulatory requirements.”

Before decommission work can resume, CNL must complete an eight-phase restart plan and receive approval from the safety commission. The plan includes a complete review of all operations.

In August, Whiteshell Laboratories general manager Kerry Rod told the Free Press that deficiencies related to record-keeping — like those that prompted the fine — are being addressed.

The penalty represents a fraction of what the government pays CNL to manage and decommission federal nuclear sites across the country. In the 2019-2020 budget, the organization was provided with a $737 million operating budget.

“A $14,000 penalty when they are getting that kind of money is not even a slap on the wrist,” said Dave Taylor, spokesperson for nuclear watch group Concerned Citizens of Manitoba. “If they are not competently doing this job, this penalty is really ineffective at getting them to follow directions.”

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca