# LC26 -- Control and Supervision of Operations

## Condition

Licence Condition 26 requires that all operations on the licensed site which may affect safety are carried out under the control and supervision of **Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP)**.

## Key Requirements

- The licensee must make and implement adequate arrangements for the control and supervision of operations
- Personnel directing or performing safety-related work must be suitably qualified and experienced
- The arrangements must define the competencies required for each role
- Training and assessment programmes must ensure staff achieve and maintain the necessary competencies
- Adequate supervision structures must be in place

## Relevance to Decommissioning

Decommissioning operations present distinctive competency challenges:

- **Novel work.** Many decommissioning tasks are first-of-a-kind -- dismantling structures that were designed to last the facility lifetime, not to be taken apart. Standard operating experience from the operational phase may not directly transfer.
- **Legacy hazards.** Workers may encounter unexpected contamination, unstable structures, or unfamiliar material forms. SQEP oversight is essential for recognising and responding to these situations safely.
- **Contractor workforce.** Decommissioning frequently relies on specialist contractors who may not have site-specific knowledge. LC26 arrangements must extend to all persons performing safety-related work, regardless of their employer.
- **Knowledge retention.** As operational staff retire during long decommissioning programmes, institutional knowledge of the facility can be lost. Formal competency arrangements help ensure critical knowledge is captured and transferred.
- **Changing skill requirements.** The skill mix needed shifts as decommissioning progresses -- from reactor operations to demolition engineering, waste characterisation, and environmental remediation.

## Docket Cross-References

- Chapter 6, Section 6.5 -- Key Nuclear Site Licence Conditions

## See Also

- [LC36](LC36.md) -- Control of Organisational Change (managing workforce transitions)
- [LC14](LC14.md) -- Safety Documentation (safety case defines competency requirements)