11 May (NucNet): The UK’s nuclear regulator is prosecuting the company responsible for the remediation of the Sellafield nuclear site in northwest England after an employee was exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said it was taking action against Sellafield Ltd over an incident in February in which a worker at the facility, which handles special nuclear materials, was contaminated.
A spokesperson for the ONR said: “For legal reasons we are unable to comment further on the details of the case which is now the subject of active court proceedings.”
Action will be taken for offences under Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, which states: “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”
Proceedings will be held in Workington Magistrates’ Court in northern England.
It is the first prosecution taken by the ONR since it was established in 2014.
Sellafield Ltd is the legal entity responsible for remediating and decommissioning the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria. The Sellafield site is owned by the NDA, a public body established in 2004 to ensure the clean-up of the UK’s nuclear legacy.
