Nuclear reactor worker injured

At a Crystal River hospital, his clothes test positive for radiation, but Florida Power says the low level is not unusual.

By CARRIE JOHNSON and ALEX LEARY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 10, 2001

CRYSTAL RIVER -- A temporary worker in the Crystal River nuclear plant's reactor containment building was hospitalized Tuesday when a piece of equipment fell on him and injured his ankle.

The employee, whose name was not released, was taken to nearby Seven Rivers Community Hospital and tested for radiation contamination. He was released Tuesday night.

No contamination was found on his body, although his clothes tested positive for a low level of radiation, said Florida Power spokesman Mac Harris.

Harris said he did not know what the worker was doing at the time of the 6 p.m. accident, though he was one of 900 temporary workers brought in for a monthlong refueling and maintenance operation that began Sept. 29.

Harris said he did not know what fell on the man's ankle.

"All we know is that it was large enough to injure the man's foot," said Harris Florida Power staff will investigate to determine the cause of the accident, Harris said.

In keeping with Florida Power policy, the employee was accompanied to the hospital by two radiation protection technicians, who monitor and survey for radioactive material, Harris said.

The man was wheeled into a special decontamination room and scanned with Geiger counters by Florida Power and hospital employees.

"I can confirm he was not contaminated," said Joyce Brancato, the hospital's chief operating officer. "The Florida Power personnel, as well as my staff, took all precautions in the event that he might be . . . but there is no contamination."

Harris said all employees working in the plant's containment building must wear anticontamination clothing. The injured worker was wearing cotton coveralls, shoe covers and gloves, he said. The clothing was discarded.

It is not unusual for plant workers to pick up a low level of radiation on their clothing while working in the containment building, Harris said.

In addition to the reactor, the building houses the steam equipment that turns the plant's turbines, driving the generator.

Small radioactive particles attach themselves to impurities in the water used to make steam. So if workers brush against a wet pipe or wall, their clothing may pick up particles, he said.

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