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Enforcement notices issued to testing laboratory

The Environment Agency yesterday took action against a local medical laboratory, Gordon Laboratory Group Ltd, by issuing them with two enforcement notices under the Radioactive Substances Act.

The company, based in Sedgefield, County Durham, has failed to comply with a number of requirements specified in its permits for handling radioactive substances, which were granted by the Environment Agency in 1999.

The compliance failures include failing to provide adequate training to staff, failing to appoint suitably qualified and experienced people to supervise and advise on the radioactive substances, failing to have adequate arrangements to prevent and detect radioactive contamination, and failing to report information to the Environment Agency on releases into the environment.

Enforcement notices can be issued by the Environment Agency where companies have failed to comply with conditions in their operating permits. The enforcement notices issued to Gordon Laboratory Group Ltd require the company to complete a range of improvements within two months.

The Environment Agency's inspector for the site Stuart Page explains: "A number of issues relating to poor management arrangements were identified during a previous inspection of the premises, and the company at that time was given the opportunity to put its house in order. Unfortunately, upon re-inspecting it became clear that little had been done.

"While there is no indication that any environmental harm has resulted from the failings that have been identified, the company is clearly falling well short of the high standards that we expect to see used where radioactive substances are concerned.

"This enforcement notice will require significant improvements to be put in place over the next two months. Failure to comply with an enforcement notice is an offence for which an operator can be prosecuted".