[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

another incident at Chapelcross



This report was posted on the BNFL website on the 20th
 
regards
    Julian Ginniver
 
20th July 2001
Minor Event at Chapelcross

On July 19th, it was discovered that a small quantity of uranium powder had been washed from some corroded drums which are awaiting repackaging and remediation in a purpose built store at Chapelcross.

The full circumstances surrounding the event are still being investigated but it would appear that a blocked gutter within the building combined with heavy rainfall, meant that water seeped down the internal wall. The drums were stacked adjacent to this wall. A small quantity of material seeped through the wall and affected a very localised area adjacent to the building wall. The event will be the subject of a full investigation by Chapelcross management. The event has been notified to both the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.

Uranium has a low level of radioactivity and in this instance there are no implications for the health and safety of our workforce or the general public. No one has been contaminated and there is no reason to believe that any member of the workforce has received an extra radiation dose. The area is now being cleaned up and the quantity of material which has been released is being formally assessed. Some colleagues from BNFL's Springfields site near Preston, who have more experience of dealing with uranium oxide, are helping the staff at Chapelcross with this technical work. The event has been rated at Level 1, the lowest level on the International Nuclear Event Scale.