NRC team to investigate workers' radiation exposures at Palisades

Washington (Platts)--20Apr2006

NRC said it sent a special inspection team to Palisades after plant workers
received unintended radiation exposures early yesterday. Six workers were
manipulating an instrument storage container underwater in the refueling area
when part of the container briefly rose to the surface, exposing the workers
to radiation from "the highly radioactive equipment inside," NRC's Region III
office said today. Radiation levels inside containment reached more than 100
times above normal levels "for a few seconds," according to an event report
submitted by Nuclear Management Co. According to radiation detectors worn by
the workers, the maximum radiation exposure was less than 50 millirems, the
NRC said. The annual federal limit for radiation workers is 5,000 mrem. "No
adverse health effects would be expected from such radiation exposures, and no
medical treatment was necessary," NRC said. The inspection team's work will
include reviewing what actions the workers were performing at the time of the
incident. A report will be issued within 30 days of the inspection's
completion, NRC said. Palisades' refueling outage began April 1. NMC
communications director Arline Datu told Platts today that she "really
couldn't say" whether the incident "will affect the ultimate end date of the
outage." Datu said that "the safety of our employees, and the health and
safety of the public, are our primary concern."

 

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