UT-Battelle has reached an agreement with the Department of Energy to pay $112,500 and complete a set of corrective actions following an investigation of radiation exposure among seven workers at an Oak Ridge National Laboratory facility last August. The DOE’s Office of Enforcement announced yesterday that the contractor agreed to a Consent Order issued last month. The agreement settles the investigation of the radiological release that occurred during a classified project conducted by UT-Battelle at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Highly enriched uranium shipped from Y-12 to ORNL “for size reduction and repackaging” became airborne, and seven workers received an “acute occupational inhalation uptake” below the regulatory limit, according to the consent order.
The agreement identifies UT-Battelle’s response as “extensive and appropriate” and outlines the contractor’s prior commitment to an action plan that includes personnel training programs for re-entry into contaminated areas, policy changes and an independent review of its corrective actions. In addition to honoring this commitment, UT-Battelle is expected to pay the DOE $112,500 this month. ORNL spokesman David Keim said yesterday, “Fortunately, no workers were injured, and we thoroughly evaluated the incident to better ensure the safety of ORNL staff going forward.”