Sellafield fined over contamination

THE company that runs Sellafield nuclear power station has been fined £75,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of health and safety law after two contractors inhaled radioactive contamination.

The prosecution follows an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into an incident on July 11, 2007 at the Sellafield site in Cumbria.

Sellafield Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act. In addition to the fine the company was ordered to pay costs of £26,100 at Carlisle Crown Court on December 4.

The incident happened when contractors drilled into a concrete floor that had previously been contaminated by plutonium.

The HSE said there was no immediate impact on their health, but they received a significant radiation dose below annual dose limits.

Mark Bassett, HSE’s superintending nuclear inspector, said: “Although the radiation doses in this case were below the statutory dose limits, they could potentially have been higher. They should have been zero.

“The incident 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.”

In a statement Sellafield said: “Clearly we regret this incident and the entire management team are dedicated to reducing the risk of incidents like this happening in the future. We are applying rigorous common operational standards across the whole of Sellafield Ltd sites and are dedicated to continuous improvement.

“The site is made up of many old facilities with lots of challenging plants. We are using a disciplined safety management approach. Sellafield’s entire management team bring considerable experience and has demonstrated success at this.”