Sellafield Ltd has been fined £380,000 after a production worker was contaminated with plutonium. Jonathan Greggain, 51, was working within a glovebox (sealed container) at the nuclear fuel reprocessing and decommissioning site in Seascale, Cumbria, when he felt a pricking sensation on his left hand as he handled a conductivity probe. Unbeknown to Mr Greggain, one of the legs of the probe had corroded in the acidic environment and effectively become a dangerously sharp object, Carlisle Crown Court heard. Tests later revealed he had sustained an internal dose of plutonium, which has slightly increased his risk of developing cancer. Mr Greggain, who was present in court for Tuesday’s hearing, is back at work but took six months off following the incident. In his victim personal statement, he said he had been diagnosed with depression and that the legal proceedings had made him “stressed, depressed, frustrated, angry and disappointed”. Sellafield pleaded guilty on Tuesday to failing to discharge its general health, safety and welfare duty to its employees, contrary to Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, on or before February 5 2017.
Energy Voice 2nd April 2019 read more »
BBC 2nd April 2019 read more »