Sellafield fined after contractors inhale radioactive contamination

London - Sellafield Ltd has been fined £75,000 and ordered to pay costs of £26,100 after pleading guilty to breaches of health and safety law after two contractors inhaled radioactive contamination. The prosecution at Carlisle Crown Court followed an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into an incident on 11 July 2007 at Sellafield Nuclear Licensed Site in Cumbria.

The incident happened while workers were removing radioactive contamination from an area of concrete floor in a room formerly used to sort and monitor material contaminated with plutonium. A patch of concrete floor - believed to be contaminated with radiation from spillage some years ago - was being drilled prior to being removed.

Two contractors were drilling an area of the floor, under Sellafield Ltd’s supervision, when they were contaminated with plutonium by the dust produced from the drilling, some of which they inhaled. There was no immediate impact on their health, but they received a significant radiation dose belowannual dose limits.

The two workers were monitored, undressed and removed from the enclosure. One contractor had widespread contamination on his PVC suit and while he was undressing two radiation air monitors outside the enclosed area were triggered. The enclosure was later found to be heavily contaminated.

While the radiation doses were below the statutory dose limits, they could potentially have been higher, and should have been zero, according to Mark Bassett, HSE’s superintending nuclear inspector. The incident, he said, highlights the importance of Sellafield Ltd following its own arrangements for protecting workers, when undertaking potentially hazardous work with the risk of exposure to radiation.

“Sellafield Ltd should have properly assessed those risks, and then appropriately planned, organised and carried out the work,” said Bassett. “We are satisfied that Sellafield Ltd is taking the appropriate measures to improve both its arrangements and to ensure they are carried out properly. We will continue to monitor closely to ensure that these are implemented.”