A worker who on July 5, experienced radiological contamination on “unprotected areas” of the head and arm, at the Hanford Site 222-S laboratory tested negative for any internal contamination, a Department of Energy spokesperson said Tuesday.
“The contamination was successfully removed from the individual’s skin and clothing without incident in the facility,” the DOE spokesperson said in an email. The safety protocol was carried out immediately at the Richland, Wash., site by Navarro-led contractor Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration, the spokesperson said.
The DOE spokesperson was responding to a Weapons Complex Morning Briefing inquiry on a Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board report dated July 8. The worker set off a personnel contamination alarm after exiting a contamination area in the lab and removing protective clothing, according to the one-page staff report.
“In this case the worker received nasal swabs and a whole-body count and there was no detection in either exam,” the DOE spokesperson said. “The individual also submitted a urine bioassay to assess for any internal radioactivity, which also resulted in no detection” of any isotopes of concern.
According to the defense board’s report, the individual while working under a hood bagged a polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, tube containing mixed waste. Other employees “noted an end cap was not secured per procedure and returned the bag for corrective action.”
The board’s report also suggests the worker’s skin might have been cross-contaminated when the person doffed their personal protection equipment.
