Fluor Idaho said this week it has not yet lifted a stop work order in effect for certain operations at the Energy Department’s Idaho National Laboratory.
The order was issued after a June 5 accident in which an employee suffered a puncture wound while doing cleanup work in a glove box at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP). It remains in effect for work in glove boxes, Erik Simpson, spokesman for the site cleanup contractor, said by email. The AMWTP is located at INL’s Radioactive Waste Management Complex.
The “limited” stop work order also extends to radiological locations where employees use sharp tools, a DOE spokesperson said by email Wednesday. “Employees continue to work other job functions at the AMWTP, including waste sizing, characterization and shipping,” the spokesperson added.
In addition to investigating the incident, the contractor is reviewing its personal protective equipment and work methods. Fluor Idaho has not yet provided many details on the work order, like how many people are affected by the stop work order or when it expects glove box work might resume at the facility.
The worker felt a jab in the forearm while reaching across the glove-box tray, according to a June 7 press release from DOE and Fluor Idaho. A puncture hole was notice in the worker’s personal protective equipment. The cause of the penetration has not yet been revealed.
The employee received medical attention, including a radiological exam, and was cleared to return to work, according to the Energy Department. Fluor Idaho continues to investigate.
The accident occurred less than two months after an April 11 incident in which four 55-gallon drums of solidified radioactive waste overheated and ruptured at the Accelerated Retrieval Project 5 facility in INL’s Radioactive Waste Management Complex.
Fluor Idaho will file its next report with Idaho regulators by month’s end on its cleanup efforts and investigation into the drum breach.
