In 2006 – 2007 there were one hundred incidents breaching safety at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) nuclear bases in Argyll, Faslane and Coulport. These were not minor lapses. They included dropping a reactor control rod, breaching reactor containment, spilling radioactive materials, contaminating workers, shutting down reactors along with over thirty power failures.

The two most serious events in 2006 – 2007 occurred on Trident nuclear submarines at the base in September and December 2006. Both of these incidents saw radioactive coolant spilled from faulty hoses. One of these spillages contaminated a worker’s shoe.

The first of these submarine incidents – along with nineteen other breaches, is described as having ‘actual or potential for a contained release within building or submarine’. The second submarine accident was said to have ‘high potential for actual radioactive release to the environment’. Forty more incidents had ‘potential for future release by failure to adopt good practice and continuous improvement’ – in other words, there’s a time release factor involved here.

Of the remaining thirty-nine incidents recorded in 2006 – 2007, the MOD say there was ‘no or little potential release’.

An Internal MOD report revealing these ‘nuclear safety events’ also showed that the 2006 – 2007 accident rate was 40% higher than the previous year and 300% higher than in 2000 – 2001.

The report showed that 41 of the 100 breaches in this period were due to ‘operator error’; 24 were down to ‘equipment failure’; and at least 20 happened on one of the four Vanguard ‘bomber’ submarines which operate from Faslane. Each of these can take up to 48 nuclear warheads to sea on Trident missiles.

In response to The Faslane / Coulport safety record being condemned as ‘an absolute disgrace’  by SNP MSP Bill Kidd, the Ministry of Defence declares that safety standards are improving. Either the evidence is against them or there’s a lot we still don’t know.

The Sunday Herald (28th September 2008) quotes the MOD’s defence for this rising accident record is that it has introduced new and more rigorous reporting procedures and that this has produced an apparent rise in breaches of safety. This is a bit of an own goal. It suggests that the current situation is no different than it has been for many years – just that it just didn’t use to look so bad.

There can be no doubt that these insights into operations at Faslane and Coulport will be of considerable concern to those living near them and to the families of those working in them. Workers at such establishments themselves tend to become quite blase about the nature of what they do and what they work with. This itself can create the context where such accidents happen.

The MOD cite overstretched staff as a potential contributing cause and For Argyll has reported earlier on the risk to the base of staff shortages. These are of an order which may see the Faslane submarines confined to base within eighteen months for lack of qualified staff to take them on patrol.

The Scottish Government has determined that there will no Trident replacement. This report can do little other than confirm its resolve.