How consensus standards are utilized and implemented in the United Kingdom

Within the United Kingdom, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates nuclear activities by issuing a nuclear site license to nuclear plant operators. The requirements laid out in the license are not prescriptive but rather stipulate objectives that the site operator must meet in order to satisfy the regulator. It is the responsibility of each licensee to develop and implement detailed arrangements to demonstrate compliance with its site license. As a consequence of this approach, the mechanics of compliance with the site license varies throughout the U.K. nuclear industry. It is therefore essential to have a means of discussing, defining, and disseminating open-quotes good practiceclose quotes throughout the industry. The principal way that such discussion is achieved is through the Working Party on Criticality (WPC), the terms of reference of which include 'a body for producing industrywide standards and guidance' and 'a focal point for determining the U.K. input into international undertakings, e.g., standards of the American Nuclear Society and the International Organization for Standardization.' The latter is achieved by appointing individuals to various bodies, and the WPC is the means to distribute draft documents, discuss comments, and press for desirable changes. This enables both the regulator and industry to keep abreast of international developments