Firm fined over in-transit radiation leak

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today issued a reminder to companies working with radiation on the importance of protection control measures, including basic monitoring.

The reminder follows the £250,000 fine imposed on specialist contractor, AEA Technology (AEAT) in a case brought jointly by HSE and the Department for Transport (DfT).

At Leeds Crown Court yesterday, the Oxfordshire-based company was fined a total of £250,000 and ordered to pay £151,000 costs. The company had previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges under health and safety and road transport law, of exposing employees and subcontractors to potentially very high risks from radiation.

James Taylor, a Principal Specialist Radiation Inspector with HSE, said: "This case should serve as a reminder that radiation protection should never be taken for granted and that management must understand the principles, not least of which is the need to supervise their staff properly."

The joint HSE/DfT prosecution followed an incident in March 2002, when AEAT were contracted to remove material, previously used in cancer treatment, from Cookridge Hospital in Leeds and transport it by road to Sellafield in Cumbria, for disposal. When it arrived at its destination, high levels of radiation were discovered coming from the specialist container used to transport the material.

A joint HSE/DfT investigation revealed that a shield plug was missing from the transport container, allowing a narrow beam of radiation to emit from its base.

Mr Taylor said: "I am pleased that the court clearly saw this as a serious matter. While there is no evidence that anyone received a significant exposure during the preparation and transport of this material, there was clearly the potential for an extremely serious incident. Anyone exposed to the beam coming from the container could have exceeded the legal dose limit within seconds and suffered radiation burns within minutes.

"The case also highlights the need for proper preparation and monitoring of transport packages. Adherence to approved operating procedures would have detected the omission of the shield plug before the radioactive material was loaded to the package."

He said that the HSE was always willing to work with companies handling radioactive materials to ensure that workers and the public are not exposed to excessive and therefore unacceptable levels of radiation.

"In HSE's judgement, however, the management failures and the level of risk in this case merited prosecution, in line with our published enforcement policy," said Mr Taylor.

(SP/KMcA)