Workers for Idaho National Laboratory cleanup contractor Fluor Idaho have full access to glove boxes following an extended suspension of operations after an employee on June 5 suffered a puncture wound while using one of the devices.
The incident occurred while the employee was conducing cleanup activities in a glove box at the lab’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP). By June 26, most cleanup-related glove boxes were again in use, and that was extended to the AMWTP supercompactor area as of last week after “additional improvements were implemented,” according to a press release Tuesday from Fluor Idaho.
Fluor Idaho has now mandated that glove-box operators use sleeves designed to prevent punctures and has placed thicker gloves in the devices, the release says. The company also intends to revise its glove-box operating procedures.
Further safety steps could be directed based on the findings of a causal analysis team established to study the accident, Fluor Idaho said.
Glove boxes are sealed containers used for safe treatment and repackaging of radioactive or hazardous substances.
The company initiated a partial “stop work” order following the incident in which an unidentified object penetrated the worker’s protective equipment while the employee reached across the glove-box tray. The employee received medical attention and was cleared to return to work.
The suspension covered radiological work in glove boxes and other radiologically contaminated areas where sharp tools are used, Fluor Idaho and the Energy Department said previously. The Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project is used for characterization and treatment of transuranic waste from the Idaho lab and other DOE facilities.
Spokespeople for Fluor Idaho and DOE did not respond by deadline Wednesday to requests for further detail about the situation.
