OREANDA-NEWS. On March 30, 2007 during a meeting in Yekaterinburg the head of the Federal Service for Ecological, Technological and Nuclear Control (Rostekhnadzor) Konstantin Pulikovsky summed up the results of his Mar 12–30 complex inspection of the big industrial enterprises in Ural Federal District. A total of 37 industrial and 3 nuclear facilities have been inspected. Pulikovsky also spoke about the activities of the Ural Regional Department of Rostekhnadzor, reported the press-centre of  Rostekhnadzor. The inspection of Beloyarsk NPP, Production Association Mayak, Chelyabinsk Specialized Radiation Safety Factory "Radon" has shown that those enterprises comply with the requirements of Rostekhnadzor concerning safety, control, physical protection of nuclear materials, radioactive matters and waste. Still, not all of the enterprises have yet solved the problem of spent nuclear fuel storage and treatment. The Ural Regional Department of Rostekhnadzor is quite efficient but needs additional inspectors so as to be able to keep pace with the program for nuclear energy development till 2010.


5 companies of Gazprom have been inspected as to the level of state energy control: Uraltransgaz, Surgutgazprom, Tumentransgaz, Urengoygazprom, Nadymgazprom. As a result, Rostekhnadzor has issued 750 improvement notices and has brought administrative actions against 28 executives. The inspection has revealed the following characteristic violations: no safety guidelines at working places, no means of protection at power units, no emergency training, no reassessment of expired technical resources. In 2006 most of the big and medium-sized mining companies of Sverdlovsk region increased their repair and modernization expenses by 1,5 times but this money is still not enough. As a result of the inspection of the mining companies of Chelyabinsk region Rostekhnadzor brought administrative actions against 3 executives, imposed disciplinary punishment on 3 employees and ruled to stop one technical unit.


In Kurgan region Rostekhnadzor inspected 201 companies, revealed 179 violations, imposed 57 fines worth 313,800 RUR. In Kurgan region the local Synthesis OJSC was instructed to improve its control over timely transportation of waste from auxiliary workshops. In 2006 the company emitted 125,764 tons of pollutants (against 197,688 tons in 2004 and 72,696 tons in 2005), which is within norm. The growth in the volume of emission is due to longer period of operation and launch of new workshops and equipment. Rostekhnadzor also revealed some deficiencies in the work of its regional department in Ural Federal District. Particularly, local inspectors are not very demanding and tough with respect to legal entities operating dangerous industrial facilities; not all directors of the companies with low level of industrial safety and reporting frequent incidents are called to the Inter-Regional Territorial Department of Rostekhnadzor for reporting; the mining inspection seldom applies such a measure as suspension of a plant’s activities, especially upon court order.