Operators at a nuclear site in Dounreay in Caithness could be facing prosecution after a dangerous radiation leak has affected a group of employees.
As many as nine workers have been exposed to high levels of radioactivity while operating at the intermediate level waste centre. The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate said that it will prepare a report to be used by the procurator fiscal.
The site also experienced a fire in May, which the inspectorate is also preparing a report for. It said that the incident was most likely caused by poor segregation of materials and a failure to keep house properly. Fire alarms brought out firefighters to the scene when the blaze erupted on 28 May.
The fire was mixed with sodium that had been removed from a pipe work earlier and was being stored within a small tented enclosure. Dounreay Site Restoration Limited, which manages the centre, said that the radioactivity was not a concern when the fire erupted.
DSRL said that the tented area that was involved was no bigger than a small bathroom. The sodium was later transferred to metal drums and lathered in graphex, which operates as a fire suppressing material.The report is being drawn up and if it is concluded that the workers were harmed during the exposure, the firm could face legal charges. So far no reports have been given as to the extent of the legal charges, but investigators are expected to submit reports to government prosecutors for review.
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