The Packaging, Labelling and Carriage of Radioactive Material by Rail Regulations 1996

Quality assurance programmes

12.—(1) Insofar as they are matters within his control, it shall be the duty of—

(a) the designer, manufacturer and consignor of any package, packaging or special form radioactive material;

(b) the operator of any freight container, tank container, tank wagon or wagon which is used for the carriage of any such package, packaging or special form radioactive material;

(c) the train operator on whose train any such package, packaging or special form radioactive material is carried; and

(d) the infrastructure controller on whose railway any such package, packaging or special form radioactive material is carried,

to establish and maintain an adequate quality assurance programme in order to ensure that the requirements of these Regulations in relation to the design, manufacture, testing, documentation, maintenance, inspection and carriage of that package, packaging or special form radioactive material are complied with.

(2) Where these Regulations require a package design, design for special form radioactive material or a shipment to be approved by the Secretary of State, no such approval shall be given unless the Secretary of State is satisfied as to the adequacy of the quality assurance programme for that design or shipment.

(3) It shall be the duty of the designer and manufacturer of any package design and the consignor and operator of any package, the design of which requires approval under these Regulations, when so requested by the Secretary of State—

(a) to provide the Secretary of State with facilities to inspect the packaging during construction and use;

(b) to demonstrate to the Secretary of State that the construction methods and materials used for the construction of the packaging are in accordance with the approved design specifications;

(c) to demonstrate to the Secretary of State that all packagings or special form radioactive material built to an approved design are periodically inspected and, as necessary, repaired and maintained in good condition so that they continue to comply with all the requirements of these Regulations, even after repeated use; and

(d) in the case where a design specification has been fully implemented, to produce a certificate to that effect to the Secretary of State.