Personnel working in a Hanford Site tank farm pit were contaminated with material associated with radioactive waste Tuesday morning. Initial reports were that at least seven workers had low levels of contamination on their skin, despite wearing protective clothing. Additional tests are being done as a precaution to ensure the workers do not have internal contamination, according to Hanford tank farm contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS).
The workers were disconnecting a jumper used to connect lines for transferring tank waste in a pit at the AX Tank Farm. Work is underway in the single-shell tank farm to install infrastructure to allow waste to be retrieved from some or all of the farm’s four single-shell tanks. When unexpected radiation was detected in the pit, the work crew backed out of the area.
Workers were taken to decontamination stations, where they were surveyed as clean before they were released. Hanford had three decontamination stations available Tuesday, including two in the 200 East Area where the AX Tank Farm is located. No employee was referred for medical treatment during the workday. Workers were using supplied air respirators, as is currently required in all tank farms.
The crew reinstalled the pit covers and no contamination was found outside of the pit, Rob Cantwell, WRPS manager of environment, safety, health, and quality, said in a message sent to company employees Tuesday afternoon. Access to the AX Tank Farm is being restricted while a re-entry plan is developed, he said. The contractor plans to conduct a critique to understand what went wrong and the source of the contamination. Cantwell was pleased with the workers’ response during the event. “Great job to the work crew and all who responded in a very timely and professional manner to minimize contamination spread and take care of affected personnel,” Cantwell said in the employee message.