The Industry Radiation Protection Coordination Group (IRPCG) held their latest meeting on 10th June at the MAGNOX site of Winfrith. This meeting was accompanied by some engaging presentations and a tour of and about the Winfrith site and the two reactors remaining there which are being decommissioned (DRAGON and SGHWR). The SGHWR presents many Radiological Protection challenges and has some ongoing projects for which dose and contamination control are important facets. The more significant risk to the workers however is the Asbestos which is found across the plant. The IRPCG members were interested to see how these two high risks are managed together and to see first-hand the controls in place for the asbestos risk. Mark Tutt and Vaughan Rees hosted the team around the site, giving plenty of opportunity for members to see, discuss, compare and experience the ways of working on the site.

The IRPCG is the United Kingdom's Nuclear Industry forum that considers significant occupational radiological protection issues at a strategic level and provides a coherent approach as the industry develops. It is a sub-group of the Nuclear Industry's Safety Directors Forum (SDF) and its members represent the majority of the Nuclear Industry's Radiation Protection Managers and Leaders. Their current topics of discussion include Assigned/Workplace Protection Factors (Forthcoming NICoP - Nuclear Industry Code of Practice), the European BSS implementation and RP Training Standards.  The group also is a significant forum for exchange of operating experience, lessons learned and best practice sharing. For more information see: http://www.irpcg.co.uk/.